Mario Matthew Cuomo ( , ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as the lieutenant governor of New York from 1979 to 1982 and the secretary of State of New York from 1975 to 1978. He was the father of former New York governor Andrew Cuomo and NewsNation anchor Christopher Cuomo. Cuomo was known for his liberal views and public speeches, particularly his keynote speech address at the 1984 Democratic National Convention in which he sharply criticized the policies of the Reagan administration, saying, "Mr. President, you ought to know that this nation is more a Tale of Two Cities than it is just a shining 'city on a hill.'" He was widely considered a potential front-runner for the Democratic nomination for president in both 1988 and 1992, though he declined to seek the nomination in both instances. His legacy as a reluctant standard-bearer for the Democrats in presidential elections led to his being dubbed "Hamlet on the Hudson". Cuomo was defeated for a fourth term as governor by George Pataki in the Republican Revolution of 1994. He subsequently retired from politics and joined the New York law firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Early life and education Cuomo was born in the Briarwood section of the New York City borough of Queens to a family of Italian origin. His grandfather Donato came to the USA in 1896. Mario Cuomo's father, Andrea Cuomo, was born in New York City in 1901 but in 1904, aged two or three, was taken back to a mountain village outside Salerno, Campania, returning to the USA on his US passport more than two decades later. Andrea Cuomo was from Nocera Superiore, Campania, and his mother—Immacolata Giordano—was from Tramonti, Campania. The family ran Kessler's Grocery Store in South Jamaica, Queens. Cuomo attended New York City P.S. 50 and St. John's Preparatory School.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Notable quotes

“I said I didn’t want to run for president. I didn’t ask you to believe me.”
— The New York Times (12 February 1985).
“I’d say, “That’s it, Charlie, you’re going to be by yourself for a hundred years.””
— Favoring life sentences without parole instead of capital punishment, as quoted in Time (2 June 1986).
“If you can manipulate news, a judge can manipulate the law. A smart lawyer can keep a killer out of jail, a smart accountant can keep a thief from paying taxes, a smart reporter could ruin your reputation — unfairly.”
— NBC TV (12 August 1986).
“I am a trial lawyer… Matilda says that at dinner on a good day I sound like an affidavit.”
— The New York Times (10 November 1986).
“People expect Byzantine, Machiavellian logic from politicians. But the truth is simple. Trial lawyers learn a good rule: 'Don't decide what you don't have to decide.' That's not evasion, it's wisdom.”
— As quoted in The Quotable Politician (2003) by William B. Whitman, p. 25
“I watched a small man with thick calluses on both hands work fifteen and sixteen hours a day. I saw him once literally bleed from the bottoms of his feet, a man who came here uneducated, alone, unable to speak the language, who taught me all I needed to know about faith and hard work by the simple eloquence of his example.”
— About his father

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

Notable quotes

“I said I didn’t want to run for president. I didn’t ask you to believe me.”
— The New York Times (12 February 1985).
“I’d say, “That’s it, Charlie, you’re going to be by yourself for a hundred years.””
— Favoring life sentences without parole instead of capital punishment, as quoted in Time (2 June 1986).
“If you can manipulate news, a judge can manipulate the law. A smart lawyer can keep a killer out of jail, a smart accountant can keep a thief from paying taxes, a smart reporter could ruin your reputation — unfairly.”
— NBC TV (12 August 1986).
“I am a trial lawyer… Matilda says that at dinner on a good day I sound like an affidavit.”
— The New York Times (10 November 1986).
“People expect Byzantine, Machiavellian logic from politicians. But the truth is simple. Trial lawyers learn a good rule: 'Don't decide what you don't have to decide.' That's not evasion, it's wisdom.”
— As quoted in The Quotable Politician (2003) by William B. Whitman, p. 25
“I watched a small man with thick calluses on both hands work fifteen and sixteen hours a day. I saw him once literally bleed from the bottoms of his feet, a man who came here uneducated, alone, unable to speak the language, who taught me all I needed to know about faith and hard work by the simple eloquence of his example.”
— About his father

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

Mario Matthew Cuomo ( , ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as the lieutenant governor of New York from 1979 to 1982 and the secretary of State of New York from 1975 to 1978. He was the father of former New York governor Andrew Cuomo and NewsNation anchor Christopher Cuomo.

Overview

Mario Matthew Cuomo ( , ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as the lieutenant governor of New York from 1979 to 1982 and the secretary of State of New York from 1975 to 1978. He was the father of former New York governor Andrew Cuomo and NewsNation anchor Christopher Cuomo. Cuomo was known for his liberal views and public speeches, particularly his keynote speech address at the 1984 Democratic National Convention in which he sharply criticized the policies of the Reagan administration, saying, "Mr. President, you ought to know that this nation is more a Tale of Two Cities than it is just a shining 'city on a hill.'" He was widely considered a potential front-runner for the Democratic nomination for president in both 1988 and 1992, though he declined to seek the nomination in both instances. His legacy as a reluctant standard-bearer for the Democrats in presidential elections led to his being dubbed "Hamlet on the Hudson". Cuomo was defeated for a fourth term as governor by George Pataki in the Republican Revolution of 1994. He subsequently retired from politics and joined the New York law firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Early life and education Cuomo was born in the Briarwood section of the New York City borough of Queens to a family of Italian origin. His grandfather Donato came to the USA in 1896. Mario Cuomo's father, Andrea Cuomo, was born in New York City in 1901 but in 1904, aged two or three, was taken back to a mountain village outside Salerno, Campania, returning to the USA on his US passport more than two decades later. Andrea Cuomo was from Nocera Superiore, Campania, and his mother—Immacolata Giordano—was from Tramonti, Campania. The family ran Kessler's Grocery Store in South Jamaica, Queens. Cuomo attended New York City P.S. 50 and St. John's Preparatory School.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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