Ruth Messinger | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Messinger in 2012 | |
| 24thBorough President ofManhattan | |
| In office January 1, 1990 – December 31, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | David Dinkins |
| Succeeded by | C. Virginia Fields |
| Member of theNew York City Council for the4th district | |
| In office January 1, 1978 – December 31, 1988 | |
| Preceded by | Henry T. Berger |
| Succeeded by | Ronnie Eldridge |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1940-11-06)November 6, 1940 (age 84) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic Socialists of America[1][2] |
| Spouse | Andrew Lachman |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) University of Oklahoma (MSW) |
Ruth Wyler Messinger (born November 6, 1940)[3] is a former American political leader in New York City and a member of theDemocratic Party. She was the Democratic nominee forMayor of New York City in1997, losing to incumbent mayorRudy Giuliani.
Born and raised in New York, Messinger attended theBrearley School. She graduated fromRadcliffe College ofHarvard University in 1962,[4] and received a Master of Social Work from theUniversity of Oklahoma in 1964. She is married to Andrew Lachman, her second husband, and has three children. She was formerly the President and CEO ofAmerican Jewish World Service, an international development agency.[citation needed]
Messinger was a delegate to the1980 Democratic National Convention and served on theNew York City Council from 1978 to 1989, representing theUpper West Side of Manhattan. In the City Council, she proposed extendingrent control from individuals to businesses. From 1990 to 1998, she served as Manhattan borough president, an office she gave up to unsuccessfully run for mayor in the 1997 election. Her candidacy made her the city's first female Democratic mayoral candidate.[5]
A politicalliberal, Messinger was known for her advocacy on behalf of public schools, efforts to achieve compromise between developers and neighborhood activists, and her aggressive media work. She is pro-choice and opposes the death penalty. During her 1997 campaign, she was nearly forced into a Democratic primary runoff with ReverendAl Sharpton, but avoided it by receiving 40% of the vote during a recount. She ultimately lost to Giuliani but received more than 500,000 votes.[5]
In 2005, Messinger endorsedFernando Ferrer for mayor in the2005 mayoral election. Ferrer had briefly run against her for mayor in 1997, before dropping out to endorse her and then run for reelection as Bronxborough president.[citation needed]
From 1998 until 2016 she was President and CEO ofAmerican Jewish World Service before transitioning to an Ambassador role with the organization.[6]
In late 2005, following a high-profile year that included the Asian tsunami andHurricane Katrina,The Forward, a Jewish newspaper based in New York City, named her to the top of its annual "Forward Fifty" list of the most influentialAmerican Jews. Messinger is also a board member ofHazon and a trustee emerita of theJewish Foundation for Education of Women.[3] In 2015 she was named as one ofThe Forward 50.[7]
Messinger serves as the inaugural Social Justice Fellow at theJewish Theological Seminary of America and the Social Justice Activist-in-Residence at theJCC of Manhattan.
In 2020, she served on incomingQueens Borough PresidentDonovan Richards' transition team.[8]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theNew York City Council from the4th district 1978–1989 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Borough President ofManhattan 1990–1997 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forMayor of New York 1997 | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
