James Fred Hastings (April 10, 1926 – October 24, 2014) was an American radio station executive and a Republican politician from New York.
Early life
Hastings was born on April 10, 1926, in Olean, New York. He graduated from Allegany Central School in 1943, and joined the United States Navy for World War II. After he returned home in 1946 he worked as a carpenter, and then worked as a sales representative for Procter & Gamble.
Hastings later became active in several businesses, including manager and vice president of radio station WHDL from 1952-1966, national advertising manager for the Times Herald newspaper in Olean from 1964-1966, and a partner in the real estate and insurance firm of Hastings & Jewell.
He was a member of the Allegany Town Board from 1953 to 1962, and was the town's police court justice for five years.
Later in 1976, Hastings was indicted for taking kickbacks from three employees while he was a legislator, and using the money to purchase vehicles, snowmobiles, and boats as well as contributing to his children's college tuition and a New York state retirement fund.[2] He was convicted of mail fraud and filing false payroll information in December 1976 and served 14 months in the United States Penitentiary, Allenwood.[3]
Later life
After his release from prison, Hastings lived in retirement in Belleair Beach, Florida until returning to Allegany in 1998.
