Mario Cuomo
Former New York Governor
Live Webcast Jan. 7, 2003, 1pm ET/10am PT

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Mario Cuomo -- attorney, author, orator, and the 52nd governor of the state of New York -- was born June 15, 1932. A graduate of New York City public schools, Cuomo received his bachelor of arts degree from St. John's University in 1953, and completed his law degree there three years later.

He clerked for New York state's Court of Appeals, then entered private practice in 1958. For 13 years he taught as an adjunct professor at his alma mater. He entered the public eye in 1972 when he was asked by then-New York City Mayor John Lindsay to help resolve a dispute over proposed public housing in the community of Forest Hills.

Then-Governor Hugh Carey appointed Cuomo New York's Secretary of State in 1975. In 1978 Cuomo was elected lieutenant governor; in 1982 he was elected governor and held the post for 12 years, becoming the longest-serving Democratic governor in the state's modern history.

Twice, he set state records for highest popular vote. During his time in office, Cuomo "balanced 12 consecutive budgets, created more than half a million jobs and led the state through two national recessions," according to a profile on the Web site of the law firm where Cuomo now works.

Cuomo's keynote speech at the Democrats' 1984 convention dramatically raised his profile on the national political stage. Though at points in his career Cuomo was mentioned as a candidate for president and for the U.S. Supreme Court, an official biography says he "declined invitations" to pursue either.

In 1995 he reentered private law practice at Willkie Farr & Gallagher. His published works include Reason to Believe (1996), The New York Idea: An Experiment in Democracy (1994), and More than Words (1993), a collection of some of his speeches.



Related Links & Resources:

• Mario Cuomo & the Excelsior Group - Cuomo's Web site designed to foster dialogue about issues of importance to Americans.

• Read a speech on America's future that Mario Cuomo gave during a February 1999 forum at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

• Read Mario Cuomo's speech to the 1996 Democratic National Convention.

• Read Mario Cuomo's speech to the 1984 Democratic National Convention.

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