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Syracuse Law School}}

Syracuse Law School}}

'''Alfonse Marcello D'Amato, Sr.''' (born August 1, 1937) is an [[United States|American]] [[attorney]] who represented [[New York]] in the [[United States Senate]] as a [[Republican Party|Republican]] from 1981 to 1999.  He subsequently established Park Strategies, a [[lobbying]] firm. He is the most recent Republican to represent New York in the U. S. Senate.​ He succeeded fellow Republican [[Jacob Javits]], a liberal member of the party from [[New York Citiy]], whom he denied re-nomination to a fifth term in the 1980 party [[primary]]. After three terms, D'Amato was unseated in 1998 by the [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] [[Chuck Schumer]], the current Senate Democratic Leader.

'''Alfonse Marcello D'Amato, Sr.''' (born August 1, 1937) is an [[United States|American]] [[attorney]] who represented [[New York]] in the [[United States Senate]] as a [[Republican Party|Republican]] from 1981 to 1999.  He subsequently established Park Strategies, a [[lobbying]] firm. He is the most recent Republican to represent New York in the U. S. Senate.​ He succeeded fellow Republican [[Jacob Javits]], a liberal member of the party from [[New York City]], whom he denied re-nomination to a fifth term in the 1980 party [[primary]]. After three terms, D'Amato was unseated in 1998 by the [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] [[Chuck Schumer]], the current Senate Democratic Leader.

==Background==

==Background==

 

Of [[Italy|Italian]] [[Roman Catholic]] ancestry, D'Amato was born in the [[Brooklyn]] borough to Armand D'Amato, an [[insurance]] broker, and the former Antoinette Ciofarri. He was reared on [[Long Island]], in the[[village]] of Island Park.<ref>{{cite web|title=D'Amato, Alfonse M.|url=http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/d/alfonse_m_damato/index.html|accessdate=May 27, 2020|publisher=''The New York Times''}}</ref>  He is a graduate of Chaminade High School, [[Syracuse University]], and the Syracuse School of Law, both in Syracuse, New York.

Of [[Italy|Italian]] ancestry, D'Amato was born in the [[Brooklyn]] borough to Armand D'Amato, an [[insurance]] broker, and the former Antoinette Ciofarri. He was reared on [[Long Island]], in the[[village]] of Island Park.<ref>{{cite web|title=D'Amato, Alfonse M.|url=http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/d/alfonse_m_damato/index.html|accessdate=May 27, 2020|publisher=''The New York Times''}}</ref>  He is a graduate of Chaminade High School, [[Syracuse University]], and the Syracuse School of Law, both in Syracuse, New York.

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From his first marriage to Penelope D'Amato, he had four children. By his second wife, Katuria, he has a son,  Alfonso Marcello D'Amato, Jr. (born 2008), and a daughter, Luciana Cioffari D'Amato (born 2009).<ref>{{cite web|author=Anne Bratskeir|url=http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/d-amato-and-wife-welcome-baby-daughter-1.1528435|title=D'Amato and wife welcome baby daughter|publisher=''Newsday''|date=October 16, 2009|accessdate=May 26, 2015}}</ref>  Katuria D'Amato filed for divorce in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2017/10/10/ex-senator-al-damatos-wife-files-for-divorce/|title=Ex-Sen. Al D’Amato’s wife files for divorce|publisher=''The New York Post''|author=Julia Marsh|date=October 10, 2017|accessedate=May 27, 2020}}</ref>​

From his first marriage to Penelope D'Amato, he had four children. By his second wife, Katuria, he has a son,  Alfonso Marcello D'Amato, Jr. (born 2008), and a daughter, Luciana Cioffari D'Amato (born 2009).<ref>{{cite web|author=Anne Bratskeir|url=http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/d-amato-and-wife-welcome-baby-daughter-1.1528435|title=D'Amato and wife welcome baby daughter|publisher=''Newsday''|date=October 16, 2009|accessdate=May 26, 2015}}</ref>  Katuria D'Amato filed for divorce in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2017/10/10/ex-senator-al-damatos-wife-files-for-divorce/|title=Ex-Sen. Al D’Amato’s wife files for divorce|publisher=''The New York Post''|author=Julia Marsh|date=October 10, 2017|accessedate=May 27, 2020}}</ref>​

An avid [[poker]] player, D'Amato is a former chairman of the Poker Players Alliance which among other matters advocated the right of poker players to play on-line.<ref>Alfonse M. D'Amato, "Report from the Chairman," Poker Players Alliance, October 2007.</ref>

An avid [[poker]] player, D'Amato is a former chairman of the Poker Players Alliance which among other matters advocated the right of poker players to play on-line.<ref>Alfonse M. D'Amato, "Report from the Chairman," Poker Players Alliance, October 2007.</ref>

==Political life==

==Political life==

Before his Senate years, D'Amato held the appointive position of public administrator of Nassau County, in which capacity he was responsible for managing the assets of county residents who died intestate. He was first appointed and then elected as receiver of taxes for the town of Hempstead. He was also a town superviso] in Hempstead and in 1977 he was elected presiding supervisor.  

Before his Senate years, D'Amato held the appointive position of public administrator of Nassau County, in which capacity he was responsible for managing the assets of county residents who died intestate. He was first appointed and then elected as receiver of taxes for the town of Hempstead. He was also a town superviso] in Hempstead and in 1977 he was elected presiding supervisor.  

In 1979, Javits disclosed that he had [[Lou Gehrig's Disease|Lou Gehrig's disease]]. Despite his obscurity as a statewide candidate, D'Amato unseated Senator Javits in their [[primary]], 56 to 44 percent.  Javits continued his campaign in the [[general election]] as he nominee of the New York Liberal Party. In that same election, [[Ronald Reagan]] carried New York, but Javits polled only 11 percent of the vote. D'Amato defeated the Democratic nominee then [[U.S. Representative]] Elizabeth Holtzman, 45 to 44 percent. D'Amato won again in 1986 and 1992 but lost to Schumer in 1998.​

In 1979, Javits disclosed that he had [[Lou Gehrig's Disease|Lou Gehrig's disease]]. Despite his obscurity as a statewide candidate, D'Amato unseated Senator Javits in their [[primary]], 56 to 44 percent.  Javits continued his campaign in the [[general election]] as he nominee of the New York Liberal Party. In that same election, [[Ronald Reagan]] carried New York, but Javits polled only 11 percent of the vote. D'Amato defeated the Democratic nominee then [[U.S. Representative]] Elizabeth Holtzman, 45 to 44 percent. D'Amato won again in 1986 and 1992 but lost to Schumer in 1998.​

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Because of his emphasis on constituent services, in the tradition of his colleague [[Strom Thurmond]] of [[South Carolina]], he became known as "Senator Pothole." His supporters did not object to the appellation because they appreciated his focus on getting things done.​ D'Amato holds the record on the Senate floor for the second and eighth longest [[filibuster]]s, some of which became comical in nature. In 1983, he voted for the [[Martin Luther King]] Holiday legislation, signed into law by President Reagan. In 1987, he backed the [[Civil Rights Restoration Act]] and voted to  override President Reagan's veto of the legislation.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/100-1988/s432|title=To Pass S 557, Civil Rights Restoration Act|publisher=Govtrack.us|date=January 28, 1988|accessdate=May 27, 2020}}</ref> He supported the confirmation of [[Robert Bork]] and [[Clarence Thomas]] to the [[United States Supreme Court; Bork was rejected by senators, including some [[Moderate Republicans]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/24/us/senate-s-roll-call-on-the-bork-vote.html|title=Senate's Roll-Call on the Bork Vote|publisher=''The New York Times''|date=October 24, 1987|accessdate=May 27, 2020}}</ref>  

Because of his emphasis on constituent services, in the tradition of his colleague [[Strom Thurmond]] of [[South Carolina]], he became known as "Senator Pothole." His supporters did not object to the appellation because they appreciated his focus on getting things done.​ D'Amato holds the record on the Senate floor for the second and eighth longest [[filibuster]]s, some of which became comical in nature. In 1983, he voted for the [[Martin Luther King]] Holiday legislation, signed into law by President Reagan. In 1987, he backed the [[Civil Rights Restoration Act]] and voted to  override President Reagan's veto of the legislation.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/100-1988/s432|title=To Pass S 557, Civil Rights Restoration Act|publisher=Govtrack.us|date=January 28, 1988|accessdate=May 27, 2020}}</ref> He supported the confirmation of [[Robert Bork]] and [[Clarence Thomas]] to the [[United States Supreme Court; Bork was rejected by senators, including some [[Moderate Republicans]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/24/us/senate-s-roll-call-on-the-bork-vote.html|title=Senate's Roll-Call on the Bork Vote|publisher=''The New York Times''|date=October 24, 1987|accessdate=May 27, 2020}}</ref> but Thomas was narrowly confirmed in 1991, 52 to 48, with the support of eleven Democrats.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/16/us/the-thomas-confirmation-how-the-senators-voted-on-thomas.html|title=The Thomas Confirmation: How the Senators Voted on Thomas|publisher=''The New York Times''|date=October 16, 1991|accessdate=May 27, 2020}}</ref>

 

 

 

 

 

but Thomas was narrowly confirmed in 1991, 52 to 48.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/16/us/the-thomas-confirmation-how-the-senators-voted-on-thomas.html|title=The Thomas Confirmation: How the Senators Voted on Thomas|publisher=''The New York Times''|date=October 16, 1991|accessdate=May 27, 2020}}</ref>

 

President [[George Herbert Walker Bush]]  named D'Amato in 1989 to the Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism.​ He chaired the Senate Banking Committee and was a member of the Senate Finance Committee.<ref name=bioguide/> He became a leading critic of President [[Bill Clinton]] in the  [[Whitewater scandal]] and chaired the hearings  of the special committee conducting the investigation into the matter. He supported efforts to assist [[Holocaust]] survivors in obtain their relatives' mony in Swiss bank accounts.<ref>{{cite web|url=|title=How the Holocaust-Swiss banks deal was brokered|publisher=Swissinfo.ch|date=August 13, 2018|accessdate=May 27, 2020}}</ref>

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Like  [[Governor]] [[Thomas Dewey]], D'Amato was viewed as the "boss" of the New York Republican Party. He was instrumental in securing the 1994 gubernatorial nomination for [[George Pataki]], who unseated Democratic Governor [[Mario Cuomo]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30C12F93D5A0C768CDDA80994D0494D81 |publisher=''The New York Times''|author=Richard Perez-Pena |title=The 1998 Elections: New York State – The Parties – New Order for New York's G.O.P. and Democrats |date=November 5, 1998; accessdate=May 27, 2020}}</ref>​

Like  [[Governor]] [[Thomas Dewey]], D'Amato was viewed as the "boss" of the New York Republican Party. He was instrumental in securing the 1994 gubernatorial nomination for [[George Pataki]], who unseated Democratic Governor [[Mario Cuomo]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30C12F93D5A0C768CDDA80994D0494D81 |publisher=''The New York Times''|author=Richard Perez-Pena |title=The 1998 Elections: New York State – The Parties – New Order for New York's G.O.P. and Democrats |date=November 5, 1998; accessdate=May 27, 2020}}</ref>​

His ten-point loss to Schumer in 1998 apparently came from the loss of support from moderate voters in New York City. He once referred to  

His ten-point loss to Schumer in 1998 apparently came from the loss of support from moderate voters in New York City. He once referred to  

Schumer as a "putzhead," a [[Yiddish]] vulgarity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/damato-and-schumer-slug-it-out/|title=D'Amato and Schumer Slug It Out|publisher=[[CBS]] News|date=October 26, 1998|accessdate=May 27, 2020}}</ref>

Schumer as a "putzhead," a [[Yiddish]] vulgarity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/damato-and-schumer-slug-it-out/|title=D'Amato and Schumer Slug It Out|publisher=[[CBS]] News|date=October 26, 1998|accessdate=May 27, 2020}}</ref>

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In 2008, D'Amato endorsed U.S. Senator [[Fred Thompson]] of [[Tennessee]] for the Republican presidential nomination, which instead went to [[John McCain]], who was handily defeated by [[Barack Obama]]. In 2012, D'Amato supported  [[Mitt Romney]], the former governor of [[Massachusetts]] and the current junior U. S. Senator from [[Utah]]], in the second losing race to Obama. In 2016, he endorsed [[Ohio]] Governor [[John Kasich]], a Moderate Republican who claimed the ability to stop runaway deficits. In that race, former Governor Pataki was also a candidate. Kasich was quickly upended by D'Amato's fellow New York Republican, [[Donald Trump]].

 

In 2008, D'Amato endorsed U.S. Senator [[Fred Thompson]] of [[Tennessee]] for the Republican presidential nomination, which instead went to [[John McCain]], who was handily defeated by [[Barack Obama]]. In 2012, D'Amato supported  [[Mitt Romney]], the former governor of [[Massachusetts]] and the current junior U. S. Senator from [[Utah]]], in the second losing race to Obama. In 2016, he endorsed [[Ohio]] Governor [[John Kasich]], a Moderate Republican who claimed the ability to stop runaway deficits. In that race, former Governor Pataki was also a candidate. Kasich was quickly upended by D'Amato's fellow New York Republican, [[Donald Trump]].  

==References==

==References==