Ed Koch
Mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Edward Irving Koch (/kɒtʃ/ KOTCH;[1] December 12, 1924 – February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989.
Ed Koch | |
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.jpg) Koch in 1988 | |
| 105th Mayor of New York City | |
| In office January 1, 1978 – December 31, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Abraham Beame |
| Succeeded by | David Dinkins |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York | |
| In office January 3, 1969 – December 31, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Theodore Kupferman |
| Succeeded by | Bill Green |
| Constituency |
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| Member of the New York City Council from the 2nd district | |
| In office January 1, 1967 – January 3, 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Woodward Kingman |
| Succeeded by | Carol Greitzer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Irving Koch (1924-12-12)December 12, 1924 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | February 1, 2013(2013-02-01) (aged 88) New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army Q serviceyears = 1943–1946 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | 104th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars |
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| Awards | |
Koch was a lifelong Democrat who described himself as a "liberal with sanity".[2] The author of an ambitious public housing renewal program in his later years as mayor, he began by cutting spending and taxes and cutting 7,000 employees from the city payroll. As a congressman and after his terms as the second Jewish mayor of New York City (after Abraham Beame),[lower-alpha 1][citation needed] Koch was a fervent supporter of Israel. He crossed party lines to endorse Rudy Giuliani for mayor of New York City in 1993, Al D'Amato for Senate in 1998, Michael Bloomberg for mayor of New York City in 2001, and George W. Bush for president in 2004.[3]
A popular figure, Koch rode the New York City Subway and stood at street corners greeting passersby with the slogan "How'm I doin'?"[4] He was a lifelong bachelor, had no children and did not come out as gay during his lifetime.[5] A 2022 New York Times article posthumously identified him as gay.[5]
Koch was first elected mayor of New York City in 1977, and he won reelection in 1981 with 75% of the vote. He was the first New York City mayor to win endorsement on both the Democratic and Republican party tickets. In 1985, Koch was elected to a third term with 78% of the vote. His third term was fraught with scandal regarding political associates (although the scandal never touched him personally) and with racial tensions, including the killings of Michael Griffith and Yusuf Hawkins. In a close race, Koch lost the 1989 Democratic primary to his successor, David Dinkins.[3]