ALBANY, N.Y., Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Lenny Bruce, a 1960s comedian who died at age 37, was granted posthumous gubernatorial pardon from New York Tuesday for his obscenity conviction.
New York Gov. George A. Pataki said his decision to pardon Bruce nearly four decades after the fact was "a declaration of New York's commitment to upholding the First Amendment," the New York Times reported.
The pardon came after members of Bruce's family and entertainers -- Robin Williams, the Smothers Brothers, and Penn and Teller -- campaigned for the posthumanus pardon.
Bruce's caustic social satire and free use of expletives pioneered a differnt kind of comedian from the more corny comedians of the mid-century.
In 1964, after a performance at New York City's Cafe au Go Go in Greenwich Village, undercover police officers cited him for using words they deemed "obscene."
Bruce was convicted on the misdemeanor charge of giving an obscene performance and sentecend to four months in jail. He represented himself on the appeal but "fumbled the process," the Times said.
Pataki's statement said the comedian "never legally appealed his conviction on First Amendment grounds."
