He served as a trustee and also as mayor of the village of Malverne, was a member of the New York State Assembly, and supervisor of the town of Hempstead, New York, before becoming county executive in 1978.
[3] A star athlete at Malverne High School, he was signed to play baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers but never played for them because he joined the army in 1941 and was discharged in 1945 with the rank of captain.
[7][8] In the late 1970s and '80s, Purcell promoted the development of downtown Nassau County businesses, and oversaw the transformation of Mitchel field, a former air base, into a recreational and educational center.
[12] Purcell had 3 children, Patricia, Kim, and Diane, seven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.
He resided in West Palm Beach, Florida with his wife Barbara, where he died on May 18, 2014, aged 95.