Feb. 13, 1954:
Carmine DeSapio, the Democratic leader of Tammany Hall — New York's Manhattan — was elected Democratic National Committeeman from New York.
DeSapio would go on to become one of the most powerful party leaders in the country. He got his start by helping elect Robert F. Wagner Jr. as mayor of NYC in 1953 and Averell Harriman as governor the following year.
He was defeated as district leader by Ed Koch, later a congressman and mayor, in the early 1960s. In 1969 he was convicted of bribery charges, serving two years in prison. He died on July 27, 2004.
Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.
Wanna be on our mailing list? Sign up at politicaljunkie@npr.org.
Comments
Discussions for this story are now closed. Please see the Community FAQ for more information.