Mario Cuomo

Mario Cuomo
Governor of New York From: January 1, 1983 – December 31, 1994
Predecessor	Hugh L. Carey
Successor	George Pataki
Information
Party	Democrat
Spouse(s)	Matilda Cuomo
Religion	Roman Catholic

Mario Matthew Cuomo (born June 15, 1932) is the liberal former three-term governor of New York, serving from 1983 through 1994. Cuomo kept running and running for reelection until he was crushed by the little-known Republican George Pataki in the election of 1994, despite New York being an overwhelmingly Democratic state and despite Republican New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani crossing party lines and endorsing Cuomo in a big way prior to the election.

Born and raised in Queens, New York Cuomo earned a law degree from St. John's School of Law and went in to the legal practice as an assistant to Judge Adrian P. Burke of the New York State Court of Appeals. Cuomo first gained attention in the early 1970's when he represented residents of Queens' Forest Hills section when they opposed the construction of a public-housing development in that neighborhood. After unsuccessfully seeking the Lieutenant Governorship in 1974 he was appointed New York Secretary of State in 1975. He went on the be defeated for the Democrat nomination for Mayor of New York City to Ed Koch in 1977, however was elected Lieutenant Governor the following year. He went on to be elected governor in 1982 and reelected in 1986 and 1990. After giving a well received keynote address at the 1984 Democratic National Convention Cuomo was mentioned as a possible presidential candidate, and came especially close in 1992, however he always declined to run.

As Governor, Cuomo was an unwavering supporter of abortion rights and a proponent of the social welfare state. He strongly opposed capital punishment during a high crime error. His liberal policies caused millions to move away from New York, and it had one of the highest tax rates, highest taxpayer-funded abortion rates, and worst business climates of any state in the nation. After being defeated for a fourth term in 1994, the same year Republicans took control of the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, Cuomo has continued to appear on talk shows since he left office.

• Mario Cuomo's son, Andrew Cuomo, is currently the Attorney General of the state of New York.

External Links

Mario Cuomo at the National Governors Association