Herman Badillo | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York | |
| In office January 3, 1971 – December 31, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Jacob H. Gilbert |
| Succeeded by | Robert Garcia |
| Constituency | 22nd district (1971–1973) 21st district (1973–1977) |
| 8thBorough President ofThe Bronx | |
| In office December 28, 1965 – December 31, 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph F. Periconi |
| Succeeded by | Robert Abrams |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1929-08-21)August 21, 1929 |
| Died | December 3, 2014(2014-12-03) (aged 85) |
| Nationality | American |
| Party | Democratic (until late 1990s)Republican (From Late 1990s) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | City College of New York (BBA) Brooklyn Law School (LLB) |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Herman Badillo (/bɑːˈdiːjoʊ/bah-DEE-yoh,[1]Spanish:[baˈðiʝo]; August 21, 1929 – December 3, 2014)[2] was an American lawyer and politician who served asborough president ofThe Bronx andUnited States Representative, and ran forMayor of New York City. He was the first Puerto Rican elected to these posts, and the first Puerto Rican mayoral candidate in a major city in the continental United States.[3]
Badillo was born inCaguas, Puerto Rico.[4] When he was 11 years old, both of his parents died oftuberculosis and he was sent to live with his aunt in New York City. After graduating from thepublic school system atHaaren High School,[5] Badillo attended theCity College of New York earning a Bachelor in Business Administration in 1951. In 1954 he received anLL.B. fromBrooklyn Law School, graduating first in his class. The next year he was admitted to the New York State Bar. In 1956, he also became acertified public accountant.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]
After joining theCaribeDemocratic Club in 1958, Badillo held various offices within the City and State, includingBronxBorough President in 1966.[14] Prior to that he served as New York Commissioner of Housing Preservation and Development.[3]
Embarking on his role as Bronx Borough President in January 1966, Badillo was met with the ongoing advocacy for the preservation ofBronx Borough Hall as a landmark, led by prior Bronx Borough PresidentJoseph F. Periconi. Periconi had, along with several historians, successfully attained landmark status for the building in October 1965, bestowed by theLandmarks Preservation Commission. It was then placed under final review by theBoard of Estimate of New York City. On January 27, 1966, the last day of the 90-day review period, the board voted to revoke the landmark status, deferring to the new incumbent's view on the matter.[15] In 1968 a mysterious fire burned part of the interior. Though still repairable, it was demolished in 1969.
In 1970 Badillo was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives from New York's 21st District in theSouth Bronx, becoming the first Puerto Rican to so serve.[16] He was re-elected for three subsequent consecutive terms. He was also a member of theCommittee on Education and Labor.[7][17]
In 1976 he was challenged bySouth Bronx Councilman Ramon Velez in a contest for the Democratic Party nomination for Congressman of the 21st District. Badillo was reelected easily with 75 percent of the vote. In December of that year, he was one of the five Latino members of Congress who established theCongressional Hispanic Caucus.[7] Largely by his efforts, job training for unemployed non-English speaking citizens was included in the "Comprehensive Manpower Act of 1973".
Badillo also served on theBanking, Finance and Urban Affairs Committee and theSmall Business Committee, where he had a seat on the Minority Enterprise and General Oversight Sub-committee. During his time in office he supported legislation intended to counteract various types of discrimination in employment, including discrimination base on age and marital status.[7][4]
Although he would later become a vociferous opponent ofbilingual education,[6] as a congressman Badillo was one of the first champions of funding for bilingual education programs. Some proponents of bilingual andESL education, and opponents of Englishimmersion, attacked Badillo for his newfound opposition to Spanish-language teaching. He was also a critical player in the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act and the inclusion of its language access provisions. During his tenure in Congress, he became an important national spokesperson for Federal investment in urban centers.[1]
Badillo sought the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York in1969,1973,1977,1981 and1985. In the1973 Democratic primary he came in second with 29% of the vote behindAbe Beame (34%) and ahead ofMario Biaggi (21%) andAlbert H. Blumenthal (16%).[18] His closest contest came in his second attempt when he was defeated by then-New York City Comptroller Abe Beame in a runoffprimary, in 1973. This was the first election with a primary run off.
In 1981 and 1985 he did not appear on the ballot, dropping out after early moves to stage a campaign failed to generate broad enough support. Badillo unsuccessfully sought aRepublican mayoral nomination in 2001, losing in a landslide vote for billionaire businessman and political neophyteMichael Bloomberg who would later prevail in that general election.[1]
Badillo resigned from Congress on December 31, 1977, to becomedeputy mayor of New York City under MayorEd Koch, a position he held until September 1979. Badillo was one of seven deputy mayors appointed by Koch for the first portion of his administration. He served alongsideBasil Paterson. As a deputy mayor Badillo handled labor relations and community outreach for Koch. In a major public disagreement with Mayor Koch over the lack of support for his program to revitalize the South Bronx, Badillo resigned his post. Some argue that Badillo made a major career mistake in giving up his Congressional post for this appointed position under Mayor Koch.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]
After leaving City Hall, Badillo worked as an attorney in New York City. He supportedMario Cuomo for governor over Koch during the 1982 Democratic primary. In late 1983 Cuomo appointed Badillo Chairman of theState of New York Mortgage Agency. In 1985 Badillo considered a bid for mayor against Koch in the Democratic primary. The 1985 mayoral election had consequential politics for New York City.[19] In 1986 Badillo was the Democratic nominee forNew York State Comptroller, losing to Republican incumbentEdward Regan. During these years Badillo was also active in Presidential politics, supportingAlan Cranston for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984[20] andMichael Dukakis in 1988.[6]
In 1993, Badillo, though still a Democrat, campaigned for Comptroller of New York City on a"fusion" basis with RepublicanRudy Giuliani's mayoral campaign. He also sought the Democratic nomination, but finished third, behindAlan Hevesi and the incumbent Comptroller,Elizabeth Holtzman. Although Giuliani won the general election, Badillo, running on the Republican and Liberal party lines, was defeated by Hevesi.[3][21]
In 1993Eric Adams, while President of the Grand Council of Guardians, accused Badillo of betraying his Hispanic heritage by having as his wife a white, Jewish woman (Irma, to whom Badillo had been married for 32 years, and who had Alzheimer's), instead of a Latina.[22][23][24][25][26] Badillo responded that "Voting based on race is the definition of racism, and has no place in a civilized multiracial society..."[26] Badillo added: "I don't apologize to anyone for the fact that my wife is Jewish."[23]
Badillo held a series of positions with the Giuliani administration, serving as the mayor's Special Counsel on education policy and as chairman of the board of trustees of theCity University of New York. In his capacity as Giuliani's education advisor, Badillo advocated increased mayoral control of the public schools and a revamped curriculum; he was also Giuliani's liaison to the city's board of education.
These actions gained him some support among conservatives but alienated him from the mainstream of the Puerto Rican political leadership, which had been his traditional base.
In 1999, Badillo's remarks about Latino immigrants ignited calls for his dismissal. His reference to recent Dominican Republic and Mexico immigrants as "pure Indians -- Incas and Mayans who are about, you know, five feet tall with straight hair," and never having a "tradition of education" were widely criticized, and he apologized two days later.[27]
In the late 1990s Badillo formally joined the Republican Party. He resigned as education special counsel and CUNY Chairman when announcing his candidacy for mayor in 2001. Despite his strong support of Mayor Giuliani, Badillo's bid for mayor never received serious support from Giuliani or the Republican Party, and he lost badly in the Republican primary to billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who had just switched parties as Badillo had done earlier.[2][4][7]
In 2005, Badillo became "of counsel" to the New York City law firm of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo P.C. In 2006 he joined the conservativeManhattan Institute for Policy Research as a senior fellow.[2][4][7] In January 2011 Badillo joined national personal injury law firm Parker Waichman Alonso as a senior counsel in its New York office.[28]
Badillo died on December 3, 2014, at theWeill Cornell Medical Center inManhattan, of congestive heart failure at the age of 85.[1]
"His death, at the Weill Cornell Medical Center, was caused by complications of congestive heart failure, his son, David, said."[1]
There is a school inBuffalo, New York calledHerman Badillo Bilingual Academy.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Borough President ofthe Bronx 1966–1970 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 22nd congressional district 1971–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 21st congressional district 1973–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic Nominee for New York State Comptroller 1986 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Albert Lemishow | Republican Nominee for New York City Comptroller 1993 | Succeeded by Annemarie McAvoy |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
