John LaFalce | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York | |
| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Henry P. Smith III |
| Succeeded by | Amo Houghton (redistricted) |
| Constituency | 36th district (1975–1983) 32nd district (1983–1993) 29th district (1993–2003) |
| Member of theNew York State Assembly from the 140th district | |
| In office January 1, 1973 – December 31, 1974 | |
| Preceded by | James T. McFarland |
| Succeeded by | Harold H. Izard |
| Member of theNew York State Senate from the53rd district | |
| In office January 1, 1971 – December 31, 1972 | |
| Preceded by | William Adams |
| Succeeded by | Gordon DeHond |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Joseph LaFalce (1939-10-06)October 6, 1939 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 11, 2025(2025-04-11) (aged 85) Lockport, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Patricia Fisher |
| Education | Canisius College (BA) Villanova University (JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Service years | 1965–1967 |
| Rank | Captain |
John Joseph LaFalce (October 6, 1939 – April 11, 2025) was an American politician who served as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives from the state ofNew York from 1975 to 2003. He retired in 2002 after his district was merged with that of a fellowDemocrat.
LaFalce was first elected to the94th United States Congress in 1974 and re-elected to each succeeding Congress through the107th United States Congress, serving his Western New York congressional district for 28 years, from 1975 to 2003. He served as Chairman of theUnited States House Small Business Committee from 1987 to 1995, and as RankingDemocrat of theHouse Committee on Financial Services from 1999 to 2003. He declined to seek re-election to the108th Congress.
LaFalce was born inBuffalo, New York, on October 6, 1939.[1] He graduatedCanisius High School before earning abachelor's degree fromCanisius College andJuris Doctor fromVillanova University School of Law.[1]
From 1965 to 1967, LaFalce served in theUnited States Army, leavingactive duty with the rank ofcaptain. He returned from military service to practice law inWestern New York with the law firm of Jaeckle, Fleischmann & Mugel, and soon became active in public service.[2]
LaFalce was a member of theNew York State Senate (53rd D.) in1971 and 1972; and a member of theNew York State Assembly (140th D.) in1973 and 1974.[1]
In 1974, at the age of 35, LaFalce became the second Democrat, and the first since 1912, to win election to what was then the 36thcongressional district of New York, which was based inNiagara Falls and also included much of northernBuffalo and the western suburbs ofRochester. LaFalce was elected as part of the "Watergate babies", the large Democratic freshman class elected in the wake of theWatergate scandal. He was reelected 13 times, rarely facing substantive opposition.
LaFalce played a key role in airing the grievances of the displaced residents ofLove Canal, which was part of his district, and spearheading the federal government's subsequent response to the environmental disaster.[1]
During his career in the House of Representatives, he served on both theCommittee on Small Business and the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs (now theCommittee on Financial Services). In January 1987, he was elected by theDemocratic U.S. Congressional Caucus as Chairman of the Committee on Small Business, thus becoming the first member of his class to chair a full, standing committee of the House. Followingthe change in control of Congress in1994, he served as the committee's ranking Democrat. In February 1998, he was elected the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee and served in that capacity through 2003.
LaFalce had numerous accomplishments as a legislator. For example, he is credited with having initiated theCompetitiveness Policy Council.
He crafted legislation that became theGramm–Leach–Bliley Act of 1999 for which he and three other colleagues earned the American Financial Leadership Award from theFinancial Services Roundtable. LaFalce also played a key leadership role in introducing and championing what ultimately became theSarbanes-Oxley Act, signed byPresident Bush in July 2002.[3]
He was generally a liberal Democrat, but strongly opposedabortion. At the time of his death LaFalce served on the National Advisory Board ofDemocrats for Life of America.[4] He also was among a handful of Democratic members who voted against the five Iran sanction bills that passed 1997–2001.[5]
After the2000 census, New York lost two congressional districts. One plan called for the merger of LaFalce's territory with the neighboring 27th district ofRepublicanJack Quinn, a longtime friend who represented the other portion ofBuffalo. The final map merged his district with theRochester-based 28th District of fellow DemocratLouise Slaughter. The new district retained Slaughter's district number, but geographically was more LaFalce's district; indeed, only a narrow band of territory from Buffalo to Rochester connected the two areas. Nonetheless, LaFalce did not seek reelection in2002.[1]
LaFalce served on theBoard of Directors of State Bancorp, Inc., then parent company of State Bank of Long Island from 2007 to 2012.
LaFalce was Banking Board Member at theNew York State Banking Department from 2008 to 2011.[6]
He served as the Chairman and Director ofErie County Industrial Development Agency from April 1, 2012, to May 2013[7] and was a member of the advisory board to theCanadian American Business Council.[8]
LaFalce was married to Patricia Fisher and had one son, Martin, who is a graduate ofGeorgetown University Law Center. Martin served as a public interest lawyer inNew York City, and now is a law professor atSt John's University School of Law.[9]
LaFalce died from kidney failure at a hospice inLockport, New York, on April 11, 2025, at the age of 85.[1][10]
LaFalce received honoraryDoctor of Laws degrees fromVillanova University School of Law (1991),St. John's University (1989), andNiagara University (1979), as well as an honoraryDoctor of Humane Letters fromCanisius College (1990).[11]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 36th congressional district 1975–1983 | Constituency abolished |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 32nd congressional district 1983–1993 | |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Small Business Committee 1987–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 39th congressional district 1993–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Small Business Committee 1995–1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Financial Services Committee 1998–2003 | Succeeded by |
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