Imagine being rewarded for something you didnt worked for
Brooklyn Wins Bragging Rights to the World’s Tallest Politician
At 6-foot-10, Robert Cornegy Jr., a Brooklyn city councilman and a former professional basketball player, is the new Guinness World Records holder.
Robert E. Cornegy Jr., a Brooklyn councilman, has been designated the world’s tallest male politician by Guinness World Records.CreditCreditDesiree Rios for The New York Times
By Jeffery C. Mays
New York already holds Guinness World Records for the most billionaires and for being the most Instagrammed city. Now the city can claim another record: the world’s tallest politician, thanks to Robert Cornegy Jr., a city councilman who represents Brooklyn.
A former professional basketball player who was part of the 1984-85 St. John’s University men’s basketball team that advanced to the Final Four, Mr. Cornegy, 53, officially tops out at 6-foot-10, according to an average of measurements provided by three doctors at Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn.
“What I went through to get this measurement was borderline ridiculous,” said Mr. Cornegy, who will receive the designation on Wednesday at a ceremony at City Hall. “But I think it was worth it to bring that designation to New York — and Brooklyn.”
Mr. Cornegy was part of the St. John’s University basketball team that advanced to the Final Four during the 1984-85 season.CreditSt. John's University
Image
Mr. Cornegy was part of the St. John’s University basketball team that advanced to the Final Four during the 1984-85 season.CreditSt. John's University
Getting certified as “the world’s tallest politician (male)” was no easy feat. Guinness requires the record-holder to submit official height verification. Mr. Cornegy went to his former trainer at St. John’s University, but Guinness did not like the tools the trainer used. He then turned to the doctors at Interfaith, which is in his Council district.
Mr. Cornegy received three measurements on the same day in January, but at different times and in varied poses. “Medically, there can be variations in height depending on certain factors,” said Dr. Mazin Khalid, who has practiced internal medicine at Interfaith for five years and provided one of the measurements.
Mr. Cornegy’s height was recorded while he was lying on the floor, which generally produces a greater measurement because it relieves pressure on the vertebrae, and while he was standing with his heels and shoulders against a wall.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg. Mr. de Blasio is just under 6-foot-6 and Mr. Bloomberg is 5-foot-7.CreditKarsten Moran for The New York Times
Image
Mayor Bill de Blasio and his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg. Mr. de Blasio is just under 6-foot-6 and Mr. Bloomberg is 5-foot-7.CreditKarsten Moran for The New York Times
“He’s very tall,” Dr. Khalid said. “It took three people to take the measurement.”
Guinness officials said Mr. Cornegy is now the official record-holder, besting Sir Louis Gluckstein, a London politician who died in 1979, by two and a half inches. (The most recent record-holder was Archie Hamilton, a 6-foot-6 former member of the British Parliament, who slightly eclipses another New Yorker: the almost 6-foot-6 Mayor Bill de Blasio.)
“When I first started this, I said there is no way I’m the tallest politician in the world. There must be an ambassador in Africa who is seven feet,” said Mr. Cornegy. “But when I found out the previous record-holder was only 6 foot 7 inches, I had to give it a shot.”
Being that tall has personal costs. Mr. Cornegy paid a contractor to put his toilet at home on an eight-inch platform. “I want to see what it’s like for my feet to swing,” he said.
John Lindsay had been the tallest mayor of New York City, measuring 6-foot-4, until Mr. de Blasio took office.CreditDon Hogan Charles/The New York Times
Image
John Lindsay had been the tallest mayor of New York City, measuring 6-foot-4, until Mr. de Blasio took office.CreditDon Hogan Charles/The New York Times
Custom suits cost $700 and stylish shoes, at size 17, are at least $400, he said. Most cars are too small, so Mr. Cornegy rides the subway from his district in Bedford-Stuyvesant to City Hall. But unless he can get a seat, he spends most of the ride hunched over.
“I have a moment of anxiety when the train pulls into the station,” he said.
When talking to constituents, Mr. Cornegy, who has a master’s degree in organizational leadership, has learned to stand back at least three feet to make it easier for people to look up at him.
Mr. de Blasio is the only local politician who comes close to seeing Mr. Cornegy eye to eye. The mayor was signing a bill in 2014 when Mr. Cornegy, then newly elected, walked into the room. “Look who’s here. Rob Cornegy, my archnemesis,” Mr. Cornegy recalled the mayor saying. But the two tallest men in New York politics get along pretty well.
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Mr. Cornegy lost his bid to become City Council speaker to Corey Johnson, left.CreditHiroko Masuike/The New York Times
Image
Mr. Cornegy lost his bid to become City Council speaker to Corey Johnson, left.CreditHiroko Masuike/The New York Times
“I look up to Council member Robert Cornegy, because of his contributions to our city, and because I don’t really have a choice,” Mr. de Blasio said in a statement.
It is entirely possible that in some corner of the world, an elected official may be even taller than Mr. Cornegy; Guinness record holders generally self-report their feats of stature. Indeed, beneath the Guinness online entry for Mr. Cornegy, two commenters suggested that a member of the Croatian parliament, Pedja Grbin, deserved the record; he is listed in some accounts as being 6-foot-11.
But Mr. Cornegy is safe from one potential challenger: Glenn Jacobs, the former professional wrestler known as Kane, who is now a mayor in Tennessee. His wrestling biography suggested he was seven feet tall, but he has said in interviews that he is 6-foot-8.
Now Mr. Cornegy, who is the chairman of the Housing and Buildings Committee, has his sights on other goals. He was in the running to become the speaker of the City Council in 2017, but he failed to garner enough support, falling to Corey Johnson. Mr. Cornegy, who by law must leave the Council when his current term expires, said he plans to run for Brooklyn borough president in 2021.
He said he hopes his world record might inspire young people.
“Being the world’s tallest politician shows you can make tremendous contributions to society, no matter how you look physically,” Mr. Cornegy said.
Brooklyn Wins Bragging Rights to the World’s Tallest Politician
At 6-foot-10, Robert Cornegy Jr., a Brooklyn city councilman and a former professional basketball player, is the new Guinness World Records holder.
Robert E. Cornegy Jr., a Brooklyn councilman, has been designated the world’s tallest male politician by Guinness World Records.CreditCreditDesiree Rios for The New York Times
By Jeffery C. Mays
- March 26, 2019
New York already holds Guinness World Records for the most billionaires and for being the most Instagrammed city. Now the city can claim another record: the world’s tallest politician, thanks to Robert Cornegy Jr., a city councilman who represents Brooklyn.
A former professional basketball player who was part of the 1984-85 St. John’s University men’s basketball team that advanced to the Final Four, Mr. Cornegy, 53, officially tops out at 6-foot-10, according to an average of measurements provided by three doctors at Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn.
“What I went through to get this measurement was borderline ridiculous,” said Mr. Cornegy, who will receive the designation on Wednesday at a ceremony at City Hall. “But I think it was worth it to bring that designation to New York — and Brooklyn.”
Mr. Cornegy was part of the St. John’s University basketball team that advanced to the Final Four during the 1984-85 season.CreditSt. John's University
Image
Mr. Cornegy was part of the St. John’s University basketball team that advanced to the Final Four during the 1984-85 season.CreditSt. John's University
Getting certified as “the world’s tallest politician (male)” was no easy feat. Guinness requires the record-holder to submit official height verification. Mr. Cornegy went to his former trainer at St. John’s University, but Guinness did not like the tools the trainer used. He then turned to the doctors at Interfaith, which is in his Council district.
Mr. Cornegy received three measurements on the same day in January, but at different times and in varied poses. “Medically, there can be variations in height depending on certain factors,” said Dr. Mazin Khalid, who has practiced internal medicine at Interfaith for five years and provided one of the measurements.
Mr. Cornegy’s height was recorded while he was lying on the floor, which generally produces a greater measurement because it relieves pressure on the vertebrae, and while he was standing with his heels and shoulders against a wall.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg. Mr. de Blasio is just under 6-foot-6 and Mr. Bloomberg is 5-foot-7.CreditKarsten Moran for The New York Times
Image
Mayor Bill de Blasio and his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg. Mr. de Blasio is just under 6-foot-6 and Mr. Bloomberg is 5-foot-7.CreditKarsten Moran for The New York Times
“He’s very tall,” Dr. Khalid said. “It took three people to take the measurement.”
Guinness officials said Mr. Cornegy is now the official record-holder, besting Sir Louis Gluckstein, a London politician who died in 1979, by two and a half inches. (The most recent record-holder was Archie Hamilton, a 6-foot-6 former member of the British Parliament, who slightly eclipses another New Yorker: the almost 6-foot-6 Mayor Bill de Blasio.)
“When I first started this, I said there is no way I’m the tallest politician in the world. There must be an ambassador in Africa who is seven feet,” said Mr. Cornegy. “But when I found out the previous record-holder was only 6 foot 7 inches, I had to give it a shot.”
Being that tall has personal costs. Mr. Cornegy paid a contractor to put his toilet at home on an eight-inch platform. “I want to see what it’s like for my feet to swing,” he said.
John Lindsay had been the tallest mayor of New York City, measuring 6-foot-4, until Mr. de Blasio took office.CreditDon Hogan Charles/The New York Times
Image
John Lindsay had been the tallest mayor of New York City, measuring 6-foot-4, until Mr. de Blasio took office.CreditDon Hogan Charles/The New York Times
Custom suits cost $700 and stylish shoes, at size 17, are at least $400, he said. Most cars are too small, so Mr. Cornegy rides the subway from his district in Bedford-Stuyvesant to City Hall. But unless he can get a seat, he spends most of the ride hunched over.
“I have a moment of anxiety when the train pulls into the station,” he said.
When talking to constituents, Mr. Cornegy, who has a master’s degree in organizational leadership, has learned to stand back at least three feet to make it easier for people to look up at him.
Mr. de Blasio is the only local politician who comes close to seeing Mr. Cornegy eye to eye. The mayor was signing a bill in 2014 when Mr. Cornegy, then newly elected, walked into the room. “Look who’s here. Rob Cornegy, my archnemesis,” Mr. Cornegy recalled the mayor saying. But the two tallest men in New York politics get along pretty well.
Sign up for the New York Today Newsletter
Each morning, get the latest on New York businesses, arts, sports, dining, style and more.
Mr. Cornegy lost his bid to become City Council speaker to Corey Johnson, left.CreditHiroko Masuike/The New York Times
Image
Mr. Cornegy lost his bid to become City Council speaker to Corey Johnson, left.CreditHiroko Masuike/The New York Times
“I look up to Council member Robert Cornegy, because of his contributions to our city, and because I don’t really have a choice,” Mr. de Blasio said in a statement.
It is entirely possible that in some corner of the world, an elected official may be even taller than Mr. Cornegy; Guinness record holders generally self-report their feats of stature. Indeed, beneath the Guinness online entry for Mr. Cornegy, two commenters suggested that a member of the Croatian parliament, Pedja Grbin, deserved the record; he is listed in some accounts as being 6-foot-11.
But Mr. Cornegy is safe from one potential challenger: Glenn Jacobs, the former professional wrestler known as Kane, who is now a mayor in Tennessee. His wrestling biography suggested he was seven feet tall, but he has said in interviews that he is 6-foot-8.
Now Mr. Cornegy, who is the chairman of the Housing and Buildings Committee, has his sights on other goals. He was in the running to become the speaker of the City Council in 2017, but he failed to garner enough support, falling to Corey Johnson. Mr. Cornegy, who by law must leave the Council when his current term expires, said he plans to run for Brooklyn borough president in 2021.
He said he hopes his world record might inspire young people.
“Being the world’s tallest politician shows you can make tremendous contributions to society, no matter how you look physically,” Mr. Cornegy said.
