Mario Biaggi

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Mario Biaggi
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York
In office
January 3, 1969 – August 5, 1988
Preceded byPaul A. Fino
Succeeded byEliot Engel
Constituency24th district (1969–1973)
10th district (1973–1983)
19th district (1983–1988)
Personal details
Born(1917-10-26)October 26, 1917
New York City, U.S.
DiedJune 24, 2015(2015-06-24) (aged 97)
New York City, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations		Conservative (1973)
Spouse
Marie Wassil
​
​
(m. 1940; died 1997)​
Children4
RelativesAlessandra Biaggi (granddaughter)
EducationNew York Law School (LLB)

Mario Biaggi (October 26, 1917 – June 24, 2015) was an American politician, attorney, and police officer. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York from 1969 to 1988.

Prior to his political career, Biaggi became one of the most decorated officers in

1968
, Biaggi was subsequently re-elected nine times, seven times with more than 90% of the vote.

In 1987 and 1988, he was convicted in two trials of receipt of unlawful gratuities, and, facing the prospect of expulsion from the House, he resigned from Congress in 1988.[1]

Early life

Biaggi was born in a tenement on East 106th Street in

Upper Manhattan, New York City, New York to poor Italian immigrants from Piacenza in Northern Italy.[2] His father, Salvatore Biaggi, was a marble setter. His mother, Mary (née Campari), worked as a charwoman.[3][4] He had two younger brothers.[2]

Biaggi graduated from

the Depression, he graduated from Haaren High School in Manhattan.[5][6][7] In 1940 he married Marie Wassil (who died in 1997), and they moved to the Bronx and had two daughters, Barbara and Jacqueline, and two sons, Richard and Mario Jr.[2][5]

Early career

Mailman

After working as a shoeshine boy and a stint as a factory worker, at age 18, Biaggi became a substitute letter carrier for the United States Postal Service, for 65 cents per hour.[8][9][10] Later, he became a regular letter carrier; his mail route included the home of one of his heroes, New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia.[10] He served nearly six years with the Post Office and became an activist in Branch 36 of the National Association of Letter Carriers.[10]

New York City Police Department

In 1942, Biaggi joined the New York City Police Department (NYPD), at 25 years of age.[11] He wanted to join the US Army, but police were exempted from the US military at the time, and the fact that his two brothers were in the armed forces was an additional factor.[10] His police career spanned 23 years, until 1965.[7][5]

He was wounded 11 times. Biaggi received dozens of citations for valor, including the police department’s Medal of Honor (its highest award) and the National Police Officers Association of America’s Medal of Valor, becoming one of the NYPD's most decorated officers.[2] Among his many exploits was his rescue in 1946 on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan of a girl on a runaway horse, which dragged him 90 feet and trampled his right leg before he subdued it, causing a permanent limp.[12][5][10][13] He used a cane for the rest of his life.[14] In 1944, he shot and killed a man who tried to stab him with an ice pick, and in 1959, he shot and killed a man who tried to rob him at gunpoint; he himself was wounded in the shootout in the Bronx.[10][4]

In 1952, he was promoted to Sergeant.

Detective Lieutenant.[15]

Legal career

At the age of 45 and near the end of his police career, Biaggi entered law school. The

minor league baseball in 1969, and won her case at the New York Court of Appeals in 1972.[18]

Political career

U.S. House of Representatives

In 1968, the U.S. House seat in

1968 election to Congress with 60.5% of the vote in what had previously been considered a traditional Bronx Republican stronghold.[19] He was 51 years old.[20]

Author Gerhard Falk wrote: "Few members of the House of Representatives have ever achieved the popularity of Mario Biaggi."

Bronx Borough President Joseph F. Periconi, the 1972 election with 93.9% of the vote, the 1974 election with 82.4% of the vote, the 1976 election with 91.6% of the vote, the 1978 election with 95.0% of the vote, the 1980 election with 94.5% of the vote, the 1982 election with 93.7% of the vote, the 1984 election with 94.8% of the vote, and the 1986 election with 90.2% of the vote.[22][23]

In the redistricting after the

Liberal nomination.[28]

Biaggi was known as a law-and-order Democrat, socially conservative, economically progressive, and tough on street crime, and led the institution of a federal ban on armor-piercing "cop killer"

Soviet Jewry, and peace in Northern Ireland, and opposed brutality in US Army camps and antisemitism.[32][17][30][33][27] Commenting in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War, Biaggi said: "Israel was attacked in very much the same fashion that Pearl Harbor was attacked."[34]

He was noted for being "a service congressman."[8] John C. Dearie, a former New York State Assemblyman, recalled: "He would do it for the son who needed to get his mother a bed in a nursing home, or the family who needed to resolve a Social Security problem, or the kid who needed help getting a job application at the Parks Department. He would pick up and make the phone call, and when he did, it was like God himself was making the call."[8]

During his tenure in office he was Chairman of the

Ad Hoc Congressional Committee for Irish Affairs.[35][36][37][38]

Department of the Army Order 31-3

In 1975, Biaggi introduced a joint resolution of Congress, Public Law 94-479, to posthumously promote George Washington to the grade of General of the Armies of the United States and restore Washington's position as the highest-ranking military officer in U.S. history.[39] It was passed and was approved by President Gerald Ford in 1976, and formalized in Department of the Army Order 31-3 in 1978, with an effective appointment date of July 4, 1976, the United States Bicentennial.[40]

Biaggi established the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF). It sponsored the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. at Judiciary Square, authorized in 1984, which honors 21,183 U.S. law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty throughout American history.[41]

1973 mayoral campaign

See also: 1973 New York City mayoral election
Mario Biaggi, 1973

In 1973, Biaggi declared his candidacy for

Abe Beame (34%) and Herman Badillo (29%), and ahead of Albert H. Blumenthal (16%).[44]

After Biaggi did not win the Democratic primary, while he remained on the Conservative line in the general election, he gave assurances to Democratic county chairmen in late August 1973 that he would not make a "serious run" for Mayor and thereby pull votes away from Democratic nominee Beame, even though he would remain as the Conservative party nominee inasmuch as New York law did not allow him to withdraw at that stage.[45] He finished in fourth place, behind Beame, John Marchi, and Blumenthal, with 11% of the vote, as Beame won the election.[46]

Unlawful gratuity convictions

In 1987 Biaggi was charged with taking an unlawful gratuity.[4] He had accepted a payment of a $3,200 spa bill for him and his companion as he vacationed in Florida in December 1984, from his long-time friend former Brooklyn Democratic leader Meade Esposito.[47][48][49][4] Prosecutors said it was in exchange for using his influence to help a ship-repair company that was a major client of Esposito's insurance agency.[4] The defense said it was given by Esposito out of friendship, and no favors were done by Biaggi in return.[4] The judge explained that to convict Biaggi of bribery, the jury would have to find that Biaggi accepted something of value with the understanding it was in exchange for Biaggi's influence on official actions.[50] He said that in contrast an unlawful gratuity is like a tip given for services performed or expected to be performed, but requires no quid pro quo understanding.[50]

Biaggi was acquitted of both bribery and conspiracy in the three-week trial. He was, however, convicted of accepting an illegal gratuity and obstruction of justice, sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison, and fined $500,000.[47][51][4] Esposito received a suspended sentence.[4] Judge Jack B. Weinstein said, as he sentenced Biaggi: "If ever there was a Greek tragedy, it is this one. A hero is today struck low, and grief descends."[47] Even after, Biaggi maintained his innocence.[52] The House Ethics Committee recommended that Biaggi be expelled, the most severe penalty.[53][54]

Separately, in 1988 Biaggi was charged by US Attorney

US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which held that prosecutors "should have been aware" that a crucial Wedtech executive witness in the Wedtech case lied; the witness had also testified against Biaggi in his trial, in exchange for being allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge.[59][56]

Later life and death

Facing expulsion from the House, Biaggi resigned his seat on August 5, 1988.[60] He was at the time 70 years old, and the senior Congressman in the New York City delegation.[58]

Since primary election petitions were already filed, Biaggi remained on the ballot for the 1988 Democratic and Republican primaries in the 19th District, though he said that he would not campaign nor run. He sought to be removed from the ballot, but a New York court held that there was no legal means to effect his removal.[61][62][63] Biaggi did not campaign, and lost the Democratic primary to then-State Assemblyman Eliot Engel.[62] At the time, the 19th District was one of the more conservative districts in New York City. He was nominated by the Republican Party.[64] In the general election, Engel won with 56% of the vote to Biaggi's 44%.[65] To date, this is the last time that a candidate running on the Republican line has crossed the 40% mark in the district.

In Robert Friedman's biography of Meir Kahane, the leader of the terrorist organization the Jewish Defense League, Kahane states that Biaggi marched with both himself and New York City mafia boss Joseph Colombo in 1971. Friedman also states that Biaggi received a "medal of honor" from Kahane at a Kach dinner that took place at the Lincoln Square Synagogue in February 1988.[66]

Biaggi was released in 1991 when he was 73 years old, after 26 months in prison, by the sentencing judge on the grounds of ill health (heart problems, arthritis, nerve damage in his legs, and broken bones from four falls in prison).[4][49][67][68] He would have been eligible for parole six months later.[69]

In 1992, at 74 years of age, Biaggi attempted a political comeback.

1990 census, parts of Biaggi's old district that had been his strongholds, Throggs Neck and Morris Park, had been shifted to other districts.[68]

As the presidency of Bill Clinton closed, Biaggi requested a pardon for his federal convictions. When asked for comment, the United States Attorneys Offices for the Eastern and Southern District of New York each opposed pardon for any convictions, noting that Biaggi received a humanitarian release and had failed to pay his fines. No pardon was issued.[73]

Biaggi died at his home in

Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York
.

Relatives

In their obituary, the New York Times noted his survivors as two daughters, two sons, eleven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.[2] From 2019-2022, Biaggi's granddaughter, Alessandra Biaggi, was a member of the New York State Senate.[75]

Accolades

In 1961, Biaggi became the first police officer in New York State to be made a member of the National Police Officers Hall of Fame.[20][7][6] In 1976, he was inducted into the National Italian American Hall of Fame.[7][76] In 2000, he was inducted into the National Safe Boating Council’s Boating Safety Hall of Fame.[77]

Biaggi received the New York City Police Department's Medal of Honor (1960), the

NYPD Shomrim Society Otto Raphael Award (2005), and the Ancient Order of Hibernians Friend of the Irish Award (2011).[78][7][76][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][74]

Doctor of Laws degree on Biaggi in 1984, for being "widely respected as a Representative of unparalleled responsiveness to his constituents even in the smallest personal matter", and New York Law School held the Inaugural Mario Biaggi Lecture in 1985.[88][89]

References

  1. ^ Lynn, Frank (August 6, 1988). "Biaggi Quits, Will Not Seek An 11th Term". New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f McFadden, Robert D. (June 25, 2015). "Mario Biaggi, 97, Popular Bronx Congressman Who Went to Prison, Dies". The New York Times. p. A25. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  3. ^ Current Biography Yearbook; 1986, H.W. Wilson Company.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j McFadden, Robert D. (June 25, 2015). "Mario Biaggi, 97, Popular Bronx Congressman Who Went to Prison, Dies". The New York Times.
  5. ^ a b c d e Buckley, Tom (March 19, 1973). "Biaggi Tells His Listeners: I, Too, Have Worked Hard". The New York Times.
  6. ^ a b c "Biaggi, Mario (1917-2015)". Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Biographies of Witnesses, Foreign Assistance for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland; Hearing and Markup Before the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Its Subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East, House of Representatives, Ninety-ninth Congress, Second Session, on H.R. 4329," March 5 and 6, 1986, Vol. 4, United States Congress House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 1986.
  8. ^ a b c d e Emily Langer (June 25, 2015). "Mario Biaggi, N.Y. congressman convicted of corruption, dies at 97," The Washington Post.
  9. ^ Verhovek, Sam Howe (February 22, 1988). "Praise and Pity Heard in Bronx For Rep. Biaggi". The New York Times.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Richard Reeves (December 11, 1972). "An Ex-cop Makes his move to Take Over the City". New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC.
  11. ^
    ISBN 0-7613-1522-5
    . Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  12. ^ Richard Yaffe (January 4, 1973). "Mario Biaggi". The Jewish Week and the American Examiner – via Google Books.
  13. Ellensburg Daily Record. United Press International
    . November 19, 1988. p. 5. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  14. ^ Karen Matthews (June 25, 2015). "Mario Biaggi, former congressman from NYC, dies at 97". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  15. ^ Wirsing, Robert (July 6, 2015). "Former Bronx Congressman Biaggi dies at 97". Bronx Times.
  16. ^ a b Clarity, James F.; Weaver, Warren Jr. (September 27, 1985). "Briefing; The Biaggi Gratitude". The New York Times.
  17. ^ a b Uhlig, Mark A. (August 6, 1988). "Biaggi: Treading a Path of Success, But Trailed by an Image in Shadow". The New York Times.
  18. ^ William E. Farrell (January 14, 1972). "Court Rules Woman May Be a Baseball Umpire". The New York Times.
  19. ^ Uhlig, Mark A. (September 23, 1987). "Biaggi's Climb: A Mix Of Honor and Rumor". The New York Times.
  20. ^ a b c "Mario Biaggi, congressman under the gun". UPI. June 3, 1987.
  21. ISBN 9781628942637
    .
  22. ^ "FEDERAL ELECTIONS 84; Election Results for U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives," Federal Election Commission, June 1985.
  23. ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 1986," Clerk of the House of Representatives, May 29, 1987.
  24. ^ "Bank‐Hagan". The New York Times. June 21, 1972.
  25. ^ Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, Vol. 41, 1983.
  26. ^ Richard Norton Smith (2014). On His Own Terms; A Life of Nelson Rockefeller, Random House.
  27. ^ a b c "The Mayoral Circus" (PDF). The Libertarian Forum. March 1973.
  28. ^ Greene, Donna (July 20, 1986). "LIBERAL PARTY, DESPITE SMALL SIZE, CLINGS TO ITS ROLE". The New York Times.
  29. ^ Ronald Reagan (August 28, 1986). "Statement on Signing the Bill To Regulate Armor-Piercing Ammunition".
  30. ^ a b Kim I. Mills (July 11, 1988). "Mario Biaggi: Lawman to Lawmaker to Law-Breaker," AP News.
  31. ^ "'Cop-killer' Bullets Focus Of New Fight". The Chicago Tribune. Knight-Ridder. May 29, 1985. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  32. ^ Lynn, Frank (March 14, 1973). "Biaggi Enters Race And Attacks Bosses". The New York Times.
  33. ^ Mario Biaggi (January 27, 1988). "Alarming Rise in Anti-semitism Noted" (PDF). Congressional Record.
  34. ^ Carroll, Maurice (October 8, 1973). "Jews Here Offer Prayer and Vow Support". The New York Times.
  35. ^ Fishman, Joanne A. (June 24, 1979). "Biaggi Seeks New Water Safety Plan". The New York Times.
  36. ^ "Rep. Mario Biaggi, D-N.Y., Saturday accused the State Department of 'discrimination and gross censorship' ..." UPI. October 31, 1981.
  37. ^ "To Reauthorize and Extend the Older Americans Act of 1965, as Amended; Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Ninety-seventh Congress, First Session, on H.R. 3046 ... ", Hearing Held in Washington, D.C., on April 29, 1981.
  38. ^ Breadun, Deaglan De (December 30, 2008). "Member of Congress suspected of IRA links". The Irish Times.
  39. ^ Library of Congress, H.J. Res. 519
  40. ^ Text of H.J.Res. 519 (94th): Joint resolution to provide for the appointment of George Washington to the grade of General of the Armies of the United States. Passed Congress version, October 11, 1976.
  41. ^ "American Police Officer Hall of Fame and Memorial". aphf.org. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012.
  42. ^ Lynn, Frank (March 13, 1973). "Conservatives Pick Biaggi As Candidate for Mayor". The New York Times.
  43. ^ David M. Dorsen (2012). Henry Friendly, Greatest Judge of His Era, Harvard University Press.
  44. ^ Frank Lynn (June 24, 1973). "Primary Biaggi Still Holds The Key". The New York Times.
  45. ^ Carroll, Maurice (August 24, 1973). "BIAGGI ABANDONS 'SERIOUS' EFFORT". The New York Times.
  46. ^ "New York City Mayoral Election 1973". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  47. ^ a b c Buder, Leonard (November 6, 1987). "Biaggi Is Given A Prison Term Of 30 Months". The New York Times.
  48. ^ Roberts, Sam (August 4, 1988). "Metro Matters; Mario Biaggi, Hearing a Sad, Haunted Voice". The New York Times.
  49. ^ a b Roberts, Sam (November 7, 2007). "At 90, Biaggi Offers Reminders of Survival as Well as Service". The New York Times.
  50. ^ a b Buder, Leonard (September 23, 1987). "BIAGGI, ESPOSITO CONVICTED ON GIFT BUT NOT ON BRIBE". The New York Times.
  51. ^ Trager, p. 786.
  52. ^ "The Nation". Los Angeles Times. April 10, 1989.
  53. ^ "Disciplining Members". Congressional Quarterly. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
  54. ^ Robert Shepard (February 19, 1988). "The House ethics committee recommended Thursday that Rep. Mario..." UPI.
  55. ^ Rudin, Ken (June 6, 2007). "The Equal-Opportunity Culture of Corruption". NPR. Retrieved July 29, 2007.
  56. ^ a b French, Howard W. (August 5, 1988). "BIAGGI CONVICTED IN WEDTECH CASE; SIMON ALSO GUILTY". The New York Times.
  57. ^ May, Clifford D. (November 18, 1988). "House Members Provide Letters Backing Biaggi". The New York Times.
  58. ^ a b Lynn, Frank (August 6, 1988). "Biaggi Quits, Will Not Seek An 11th Term". The New York Times.
  59. ^ Hays, Constance L. (June 1, 1991). "COURT OVERTURNS CONVICTIONS OF 3 IN WEDTECH CASE". The New York Times.
  60. ^ "Biaggi, Mario - Biographical Information". Congress.gov. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017.
  61. ^ Verhovek, Sam Howe (September 12, 1988). "Rally for Biaggi Draws Criticism of Its Timing". The New York Times.
  62. ^ a b Lynn, Frank (September 16, 1988). "BIAGGI IS DEFEATED IN CONGRESS RACE BY ASSEMBLYMAN". The New York Times.
  63. ^ Lynn, Frank (September 13, 1988). "Biaggi Is Still a Force in Bronx Race". The New York Times.
  64. ^ May, Clifford D. (August 5, 1988). "House Leaders Set Date to Weigh Action on Biaggi". The New York Times.
  65. ^ "NY District 19 Race - Nov 8, 1988". Our Campaigns.
  66. ^ Friedman, Robert (1990). The False Prophet: Rabbi Meri Kahane. Lawrence Hill Books. p. 125.
  67. ^ Fowler, Glenn (June 29, 1991). "U.S. Judge Signs Biaggi Release, Citing Ill Health". The New York Times.
  68. ^ a b c Stanley, Alessandra (September 12, 1992). "Out of Cell (and Sickbed), Biaggi Tries Anew". The New York Times.
  69. ^ Howe, Marvine (June 30, 1991). "Judge Orders Ailing Biaggi Released From a Prison in Texas". The New York Times.
  70. ^ Bennet, James (September 16, 1992). "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: 17TH DISTRICT; Biaggi Fails in His Bid to Return to Congress". The New York Times.
  71. ^ Gonzalez, David (August 2, 1992). "Issue in Campaign Is Biaggi's Record, but Which One?". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  72. ^ Finder, Alan (September 6, 1992). "POLITICAL NOTES; Police Unions Still Loyal to Biaggi". The New York Times.
  73. Archives.gov
    .
  74. ^ a b Robert Wirsing (July 3–9, 2015). "Former Bronx Congressman Mario Biaggi Dies at 97," Bronx Times, p. 3.
  75. ^ Brian Brant (October 22, 2021). "NY State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi tests positive for COVID-19 in breakthrough case". 1010 WINS.
  76. ^ a b Official Congressional Directory, Vol. 99, United States Congress, 1985.
  77. ^ "Former US Rep Mario Biaggi dies at 97". Small Craft Advisory. October 28, 2015.
  78. ^ Ray Barron (February 26, 2016). "11 o'clock News," Boston Post-Gazette, p. 12.
  79. ^ Ron Quartararo (2012). The Media & The Mob:Exploring the Mafia Mystique; A Discussion with Television News Executives
  80. ^ The New York Red Book, Vol. 88, Williams Press, 1985.
  81. ^ Anne T. Romano (2010). Italian Americans in Law Enforcement
  82. ISBN 9780028646237
    – via Google Books.
  83. ^ "AOTOS Award Recipient Mario Biaggi Urges Maritime Unity". Maritime Reporter. December 15, 1983.
  84. ^ "Otto Raphael Award". NYPD Shomrim Society.
  85. ^ "Bonner Award Recipients" (PDF).
  86. ^ "50th Rapallo Luncheon Program," Columbian Lawyers Association, April 18, 2015.
  87. ^ "Biaggi Honored for Legislation,", Boating Safety Newsletter, Office of Boating Safety, United States Coast Guard, Department of Transportation, 1981.
  88. ^ Pace, Eric (May 20, 1984). "FORDHAM GRADUATION HONORS WALESA IN ABSENTIA". The New York Times.
  89. ^ Roger J. Miner (1985). Book #12A, New York Law School.

External links

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 24th congressional district

1969–1973 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 10th congressional district

1973–1983 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 19th congressional district

1983–1988 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by
Conservative nominee for Mayor of New York City
1973
 Succeeded by
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