A who's who of New York politics filed into St. Patrick's Cathedral on Thursday to remember former New York Governor Hugh Carey, known for leading the state out of economic crisis in the 1970s.

Former Governor Mario Cuomo said on Thursday that Carey was "the most effective governor in our modern history."

"He, in fact, saved New York City in the '70s," Cuomo said. "When he saved New York City, he saved New York state. He protected the honor of the whole country. Imagine what Moscow would have said if New York City went bankrupt."

The liberal Democrat was a Brooklyn native who served two terms as governor from 1975 to 1982. He died Sunday at 92.

Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former New York City Mayor Ed Koch and former Senator Alfonse D'Amato were among the political notables who filled the cathedral Thursday morning. 

"I liked working with him," Koch said. "He had a terrific sense of humor. And he had a marvelous Irish tenor."

Carey entered office amid the worst economic climate since the Great Depression. He was praised by both Democrats and Republicans for his leadership when the city teetered on the edge of fiscal calamity.

The funeral service was set for 10 a.m.

With the Associated Press