Robert Cornegy Jr., a city councilman who represents Brooklyn, New York, holds the Guinness World Record as the tallest male politician
A Brooklyn city councilman has brought a new world record to New York: the tallest politician in the world!
Robert Cornegy Jr. — who represents the city’s 36th District, including Bedford Stuyvesant and Crown Heights — has secured the Guinness World Record for the “tallest male politician.” Standing at 6 feet, 10 inches, the former pro basketball player said he was surprised to snag the title.
“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 7 feet,” he told the New York Times. “But when I found out the previous record-holder was only 6 foot, 7 inches, I had to give it a shot.”
So, that’s what he did.
Cornegy Jr., 53, was measured both standing and laying down by doctors at Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn, according to the Times.
“He’s very tall,” Dr. Mazin Khalid told the Times. “It took three people to take the measurement.”
Cornegy Jr. admitted that the verification process was taxing, taking up to 18 hours, but he’s glad to be the record-holder.
“What I went through to get this measurement was borderline ridiculous,” he told the publication. “But I think it was worth it to bring that designation to New York — and Brooklyn.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio presented Cornegy Jr. with the certificate recognizing him as the world’s tallest elected official during a recent ceremony.
“Today I get a chance to send a resounding message to all the young people in the world who may have come in different packages, so they may not have the normal, physical stature and would like to still make a difference,” Cornegy Jr. said at the ceremony. “You can absolutely do that and you don’t have to be relegated to a particular segment in society based on how you look.”
Cornegy Jr. shared a photo of the ceremony on Instagram and echoed his statements in the caption.
“It was a pleasure to accept @guinnessworldrecords title of world’s tallest elected official from @nycmayor at NY City Hall today surrounded by my children and friends,” he wrote.
“More than anything, I hope this record shows young people that they need not feel limited by their appearance. Follow your passion no matter what other people say you should do. There is more than one way to make a difference!”
Before Cornegy Jr., London politician Sir Louis Gluckstein held the record, standing at about 6 feet, 8 inches before his death in 1979, according to the Times. The most recent record-holder was 6-foot-6 Archie Hamilton, a member of the British Parliament.
On the downside, though, Cornegy Jr. told the publication that being so tall does come with his hardships — including not having enough headroom on subway trains.
“I have a moment of anxiety when the train pulls into the station,” he said.
