Steven Pankow was Mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of the City of Buffalo, New York

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

, serving 1954–1957. He was born in Buffalo on March 29, 1908. He grew up in Freyfield-Wolnepole, Poland, until around 1922, when he returned to Buffalo to live with an aunt. He married Mary Conwall (born Konowalczak) in 1930. He worked at the Bethlehem Steel

Bethlehem Steel

The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...

 plant in Lackawanna, New York

Lackawanna, New York

Lackawanna is a city in Erie County, New York, U.S., located just south of the city of Buffalo in the western part of New York state. The population was 18,141 at the 2010 census. The name derives from the Lackawanna Steel Company...

 and in the 1930s, opened his own automobile agency; a Dodge-Plymouth franchise, known as Pankow Motors.

He served as clerk of Erie County, New York

Erie County, New York

Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...

 from 1949 to 1951. He was elected mayor on November 3, 1953, as the Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 candidate. During his term, the Buffalo Skyway

New York State Route 5

New York State Route 5 is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, and several other smaller cities and...

 was extended, to erect a wider bridge over the Union Ship Canal, and the Kensington Expressway

New York State Route 33

New York State Route 33 is an east–west state highway in western New York in the United States. The route extends for just under from NY 5 in Buffalo in the west to NY 31 in Rochester in the east. It is, in fact, the only state highway that directly connects both cities, although...

, the Niagara Thruway

Interstate 190 (New York)

Interstate 190 runs 28.34 miles from Interstate 90 near Buffalo, New York to Lewiston, New York via Niagara Falls. Parts of this highway were built on the former rights-of-way of the Lehigh Valley Railroad and the Erie Canal. It is referred to by locals as The One-Ninety...

 extension and the Scajaquada Creek Expressway

New York State Route 198

New York State Route 198 is a state highway located entirely within the city of Buffalo, New York, in the United States. It is named the Scajaquada Expressway for Scajaquada Creek, which it parallels as it heads across northern Buffalo...

 were constructed. After his term he returned to automobile sales and worked at a number of patronage jobs with the city. After a brief illness, he died on July 25, 1993. He is buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery, Cheektowaga, New York.