Ed Koch
Edward Irving "Ed" Koch (December 12, 1924 – February 1, 2013) was an American lawyer, politician, movie critic, and television personality. He was the 105th mayor of New York City from January 1, 1978 through December 31, 1989. He was also part of the House of Representatives. He was a judge for the television judge show The People's Court.
Ed Koch | |
|---|---|
_cropped.jpg) Koch at the commissioning of USS Lake Champlain in New York City, August 12, 1988 | |
| 105th Mayor of New York City[1] | |
| In office January 1, 1978 – December 31, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Abraham D. Beame |
| Succeeded by | David N. Dinkins |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 18th district | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – December 31, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Charles B. Rangel |
| Succeeded by | S. William Green |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 17th district | |
| In office January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Theodore R. Kupferman |
| Succeeded by | John M. Murphy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Irving Koch December 12, 1924 The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 1, 2013 (aged 88) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Parents |
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| Residence | Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation | Politician |
Early life
Koch was born on December 12, 1924 in The Bronx, New York to Yetta (née Silpe) and Louis Koch.[2] They were a Polish-Jewish family from New Jersey. He was raised in both The Bronx and in Newark, New Jersey. Koch studied at the City College of New York and at New York University School of Law.
Career
Throughout his career, Koch signed many bills including one that allowed gays and lesbians to marry in New York City. Another well-known act he did in New York was that he helped try to find a cure for AIDS. He had many preventions and awareness programs.[3] He was a Democrat. He ran for Governor of New York, but lost the election. His career began to slowly come to an end after Koch suffered a stroke in 1987. When he was a representative, he supported the Civil Right Act during the 1960s.
Personal life
Koch never married and had no children. Many thought Koch was gay[4] because of the pro-LGBT policies he supported and because he never married. This made Koch angry and told everyone he was not.[5]
Death
Koch went to the hospital on January 19, 2013 and left on January 26.[6] He went back to the hospital on January 31, 2013 because he had chest pains and liquid in his lungs.[7] The next day on the morning of February 1, 2013, Koch died in Manhattan, New York from heart failure, aged 88.[8]
Burial
He was buried at Trinity Cemetery and Mausoleum in Manhattan, New York on February 4, 2013. Many people went to his funeral including former United States President Bill Clinton. His marker are written in the last words of Daniel Pearl. He has a Star of David somewhere in his grave. The epitaph of his grave says: "He was fiercely proud of his Jewish faith. He fiercely defended the City of New York, and he fiercely loved its people. Above all, he loved his country, the United States of America, in whose armed forces he served in World War II".
Quotes
A practiced public speaker since his days stumping for Adlai Stevenson, Koch was well known for his quips and one liners.[9] A few include:
(On the occasion of his primary loss to David Dinkins) "The people have spoken...and they must be punished."[9]
"I'm the sort of person who will never get ulcers. Why? Because I say exactly what I think. I'm the sort of person who might give other people ulcers."[9]
"If you agree with me on nine out of 12 issues, vote for me. If you agree with me on 12 out of 12 issues, see a psychiatrist."[9]
Ed Koch Media
Koch served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977.
President Ronald Reagan presenting Ed Koch and other New York leaders, including Governor Mario Cuomo, with a check for Westway Project Funds, September 1981
Koch giving interview to WABC-TV in 1981
Koch with Ed van Thijn on a visit to Amsterdam in 1988
Koch and Colin Powell lead the US delegation for the 2004 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Conference on Anti-Semitism, held in Berlin, Germany (April 28, 2004)
Prior to his death, Koch lived in an apartment at 2 Fifth Avenue (the high-rise building to the left of the Washington Square Arch, as seen in the background of a 2016 image of Washington Square Park).
References
- ↑ "The Green Book: Mayors of the City of New York" Archived 2012-10-29 at the Wayback Machine on the official NYC website
- ↑ "Koch, Edward Irving – Biographical Information". Retrieved November 11, 2009.
- ↑ "Ed Koch's Legacy". Gotham Gazette. November 14, 2005. http://www.gothamgazette.com/article//20051114/202/1652. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
- ↑ 30th Anniversary Issue / Larry Kramer: Queer Conscience
- ↑ Koch, Edward. "Ed Koch: Hizzoner",New York, April 6, 1998 (published online March 30, 1998). Retrieved May 9, 2009.
- ↑ "Doctors to former NYC Mayor Ed Koch: You can leave hospital but lay off the salt". NBC News. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
- ↑ "Former Mayor Ed Koch Is Hospitalized". NY1. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
- ↑ "New York Former Mayor Ed Koch dies at 88". BBC. February 1, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Joe Coscarelli (February 1, 2013). "The Quotable Ed Koch: Wit, Wisdom, and One-Liners". New York. http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/02/ed-koch-quotes-wit-wisdom-one-liners.html.
Other websites
- Ed Koch on Twitter
- Ed Koch on IMDb
- Ed Koch at Find a Grave
- Voices on Antisemitism Interview with Edward Koch Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Edward I. Koch's page on NewsMax.com Archived 2011-05-15 at the Wayback Machine
- Podcasts of Ed Koch commentaries at Bloomberg.com
- Edward I. Koch Collection Archived 2012-08-08 at the Wayback Machine of La Guardia and Wagner Archives – Koch's mayoral records as well as personal papers and photographs
- Former Mayor of New York Passes Away at 88