Jeremy Zellner / Twitter Longtime Democratic party leader Joseph F. Crangle died early Tuesday morning at his Williamsville home. He was 88. "Erie County Democrats mark and mourn the passing of our party's greatest chair, Joseph F. Crangle," said former Democratic Party Chair Len Lenihan. "He was a historic figure who truly made history." Crangle was a Buffalo native and an attorney who served as Erie County Democratic Chairman from 1965-1988, the longest such term. He was also New York State party chairman from 1971-1974 and was nearly elected as national party chairman in 1968. He enjoyed relationships with prominent national Democratic politicians, such as Lyndon Johnson, Robert and Ted Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey and Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and was a member of the Democratic National Committee for two decades. Crangle was also a senior aide to three state Assembly speakers.