Thomas M. Foglietta

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Tom Foglietta
United States Ambassador to Italy
In office
December 11, 1997 – October 1, 2001
PresidentBill Clinton
George W. Bush
Preceded byReginald Bartholomew
Succeeded byMel Sembler
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 1st district
In office
January 3, 1981 – November 11, 1997
Preceded byMichael Myers
Succeeded byBob Brady
Member of the Philadelphia City Council from the at-large district
In office
January 2, 1956 – January 5, 1976
Preceded bySeat created[1]
Succeeded byEthel D. Allen
Personal details
BornDecember 3, 1928
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedNovember 13, 2004(2004-11-13) (aged 75)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery, Yeadon, Pennsylvania
Political partyDemocratic (after 1980)
Other political
affiliations		Republican (before 1980)
Independent (1980)
Alma materSaint Joseph's University

Thomas Michael Foglietta (December 3, 1928 – November 13, 2004) was an American politician and diplomat. He represented

United States Ambassador to Italy
from December 1997 to October 2001.

Background

Foglietta was born on December 3, 1928, in a house on 7th and Clymer Streets in South

Temple Law School in 1952.[2]
After graduating from law school, he entered private practice.

U.S. Department of Labor
.

Foglietta's official portrait in the 102nd Congress, 1991.

Congressional career

In the

Kim Dae Jung back home.[3]
The two formed a lifelong friendship and in 1999, Foglietta received a South Korean human rights award for supporting democracy there, while Kim received Philadelphia's Liberty Medal.

Foglietta later served on the House Appropriations Committee, where he worked to secure federal funding for the restoration of various Philadelphia historic sites, including Independence Hall and Washington Square in Philadelphia. Foglietta was also well known for founding the Congressional Urban Caucus, a legislative service organization dedicated to promoting urban policy issues in the House.[4]

On election day in 1984, Foglietta successfully ran down a purse-snatcher after witnessing two boys rob an 84-year-old woman.[5]

Ambassador to Italy

Foglietta served in the House until 1997, when he resigned and was appointed ambassador to Italy by President Bill Clinton. Upon his nomination, the Philadelphia Daily News published an editorial that stated: "In 68 years, Thomas Michael Foglietta will have made it from a rowhouse at 7th and Clymer to the embassy in Rome on a smile and a trustworthy handshake. Which, as it turns out, is an excellent way to travel."

The 1998

Cavalese cable car disaster happened during his tenure in Rome; in the accident, a U.S. military aircraft flew too low, severing a gondola cable, resulting in the deaths of 20 skiers. Foglietta visited the accident site and knelt in prayer, offering apologies on behalf of the United States. An editorial in La Repubblica
, an Italian newspaper remarked: "Yesterday it was up to Ambassador Thomas Foglietta to do something we Italians do less and less. Foglietta expressed his apologies on behalf of President Clinton and the American people for that terrible tragedy and kneeled down in prayer for the poor victims."

Death

On November 13, 2004, Foglietta died from complications of shoulder surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, at the age of 75.[6]

See also

  • History of the Italian Americans in Philadelphia

References

  • "Ambassador Thomas M. Foglietta". www.usembassy.it. United States Department of State. Archived from the original on 2001-01-28.
  • "Meet Tom Foglietta-His Bio". www.house.gov. United States House of Representatives. Archived from the original on June 14, 1997.
  • "Thomas M. Foglietta (D)".
    CQ's Politics in America - THE 104th CONGRESS. Congressional Quarterly. 1996. Archived from the original
    on June 14, 1997.
  1. ^ Fifield, Adam (November 21, 2004). "Foglietta remembered as a tireless advocate At a Funeral Mass". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  2. ^
    Newspapers.com
    .
  3. ^ Foglietta says melee at airport in South Korea unprovoked
  4. ^ Foglietta, Tom. "Congressional Urban Caucus Home Page". Archived from the original on 1997-08-06.
  5. ^ Politician races after suspect
  6. ^ Former Congressman Thomas Foglietta dies
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thomas Foglietta.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
United States Ambassador to Italy

1997–2001 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district
1981–1997 		Succeeded by
Philadelphia City Council
Preceded by
Seat Created
 Member of the Philadelphia City Council for the At-Large District
1956–1976 		Succeeded by
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