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Mario Matthew Cuomo (/ˈkwoʊmoʊ/, Italian: [ˈkwɔːmo]; 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.[1] 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 former CNN news 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.'"[2] 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 father—Andrea Cuomo—was from Nocera Superiore, Campania, and his mother—Immacolata Giordano—was from Tramonti, Campania.[6] The family ran Kessler's Grocery Store in South Jamaica, Queens.[7] Cuomo attended New York City P.S. 50 and St. John's Preparatory School.

Cuomo was a baseball player and while attending St. John's University in 1952, he signed as an outfielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates for a $2,000 bonus, which he used to help purchase his wife Matilda's engagement ring.[8] Cuomo played for the Brunswick Pirates of the Class D Georgia–Florida League where his teammates included future major leaguer Fred Green; [9] Cuomo attained a .244 batting average and played center field until he was struck in the back of the head by a pitch.[10] Batting helmets were not yet required equipment, and Cuomo's injury was severe enough that he was hospitalized for six days.

After his recovery, Cuomo gave up baseball and returned to St. John's University, earning his bachelor's degree summa cum laude in 1953.[11] Deciding on a legal career, Cuomo attended St. John's University School of Law and graduated tied for first in his class in 1956.[11] Cuomo clerked for Judge Adrian P. Burke of the New York Court of Appeals.[11] Despite having been a top student, the ethnic prejudice of the time led to his rejection by more than 50 law firms before he was hired by a small but established office in Brooklyn.

During his tenure at the law firm of Comer, Weisbrod, Froeb and Charles, Cuomo represented Fred Trump.[14] Cuomo eventually became a partner at the firm, but stepped down in 1974 to become New York Secretary of State.[15] In 1989, he settled a longstanding lawsuit against his former firm regarding $4 million in legal fees.[16] In addition to practicing law, Cuomo worked as an adjunct professor at St. John's University School of Law.

Cuomo was married for 60 years to Matilda (née Raffa), from 1954 until his death in 2015. She is a graduate of St. John's University's Teachers College.[48] They had five children, Margaret, Andrew, Maria, Madeline, and Christopher. In 2017, Matilda was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Cuomo's older son Andrew married Kerry Kennedy, a daughter of Robert F. and Ethel Skakel Kennedy, on June 9, 1990. They had three daughters, twins Cara Ethel and Mariah Matilda Cuomo, born on January 11, 1995; and Michaela Andrea Cuomo, born on August 26, 1997. The couple divorced in 2005. Andrew served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Bill Clinton from 1997 to 2001. In his first attempt to succeed his father, he ran as Democratic candidate for New York governor in 2002, but withdrew before the primary. He withdrew after criticizing Republican incumbent George Pataki's leadership following the terrorist attacks on the city on September 11 the previous year. In November 2006, Andrew was elected New York State Attorney General; and on November 2, 2010, he was elected Governor of New York, inaugurated on January 1, 2011 and was re-elected two more times, serving until he resigned in August 2021 due to sexual harassment allegations.

Cuomo's younger son Chris was a journalist on the ABC Network news magazine Primetime. He anchored news segments and served as co-host on Good Morning America, before moving to CNN in 2013, where he co-hosted the morning news magazine New Day. He anchored his own prime time show Cuomo Prime Time until he was suspended and ultimately fired in 2021 for assisting his brother Andrew in navigating a sexual harassment scandal which had previously led to Andrew’s resignation as Governor of New York and after two accusations of sexual harassment against Chris were made.[51] He was picked as one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1997.

Cuomo's daughter Maria is married to Kenneth Cole, the New York fashion designer. She is Chair of the Board of HELP USA,[53] a charitable foundation that is also associated with the organization her mother founded, Mentoring USA.

His daughter Margaret is "a board certified radiologist, teaching professional, and national advocate for the prevention of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes".[54] She is the author of A World Without Cancer: The Making of a New World and the Real Promise of Prevention (2013),[54] and she serves on the Board of Directors of the nonprofit organization, LessCancer.[54] She has been featured on such TV shows as Good Morning America, Good Day New York, Morning Joe, and Inside Edition.[54] In 2011, she was awarded the Commendation of the Order of the Star by the president and prime minister of Italy.

Cuomo remained a baseball fan after his athletic career ended, reportedly limiting his television watching to baseball games and C-SPAN.[9] He was an avid player of fantasy baseball, always with an Italian-American player on his team, regardless of how many Italian-American players were available or how well they were doing.[56] In 1994, he was featured several times on the Ken Burns PBS series Baseball, where he shared memories of his life in baseball before he entered politics.

Cuomo was the first guest on the long-running CNN talk show Larry King Live that began in 1985 and ended in 2010.

Neal Conan described the man as both the most intelligent and wittiest politician he has ever interviewed.

Illness and death

On November 30, 2014, it was announced that Cuomo had been hospitalized for a heart condition; he was described as being "in good spirits".

On January 1, 2015, Andrew Cuomo was sworn in for his second term as governor. The elder Cuomo was not well enough to attend the inaugural ceremony, though his son remarked, "He is in the heart and mind of every person who is here. He is here and his inspiration and his legacy and his experience is what has brought the state to this point."[60] Mario Cuomo died from heart failure at his home in Manhattan at 5:15 p.m. EST that afternoon, at the age of 82.

Cuomo's wake was held on January 5, 2015, and his funeral was held at Saint Ignatius Loyola Church in Manhattan on January 6.[62] He is interred at St. John Cemetery, in Middle Village, Queens.

Courtesy – Wikipedia
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