Rick Lazio

Lazio was born in Amityville, New York, in Suffolk County, on Long Island. He is the son of Olive (née Christensen) and Anthony Lazio, who owned an automotive parts store. His father was of Italian descent and his maternal grandparents were Danish immigrants.{{cite news| url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/070500sen-ny-lazio.html| work=The New York Times | first=Dan | last=Barry | title=Behind the Lazio Smile Lies a Deliberate and Pragmatic Substance| date=July 5, 2000|accessdate=July 3, 2022|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20000912170417/http://www10.nytimes.com:80/library/politics/camp/070500sen-ny-lazio.html|archivedate=September 12, 2000|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/politics/newyork/features/3492/|work=New York|first=Chris|last=Smith|title=Which Rick Do You Pick?|date=July 10, 2000}} He graduated from West Islip High School in 1976. He received his A.B. from Vassar College and received his Juris Doctor from the Washington College of Law at American University.{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/lazio-cites-lessons-learned-from-senate-campaign-1.1968997|title=Lazio cites lessons learned from Senate run|last=Maier |first=Thomas |website=Newsday |date=May 31, 2010|access-date=September 15, 2021}}

Prior to being elected to Congress, Lazio was appointed executive assistant district attorney for Suffolk County in 1987{{cite web|last1=Winum|first1=Jessica|title=Four Housemates on Top of the World: Politician, CEO, Media Mogul, and Entrepreneur|url=https://vq.vassar.edu/issues/2000/04/beyond-vassar/housemates.html|website=Vassar Quarterly}} and served in the Suffolk County Legislature from 1990 to 1993.{{cite web|url=https://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/rev_summary.php?id=27868|website=Open Secrets|title=Revolving Door: Rick A Lazio Employment Summary}}{{cite web |url=https://www.scnylegislature.us/672/Present-Former-Legislator-List |title=Present & Former Legislator List | Suffolk County Legislature, NY |website=www.scnylegislature.us}}Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors of Suffolk County, Volume 1 (1989){{cite web |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=266167 |title=Our Campaigns - Suffolk County Legislature 11 Race - Nov 07, 1989 |website=www.ourcampaigns.com}}

File:Sherwood Boehlert with Rick Lazio and Nancy Johnson.jpg and Nancy Johnson in 2000]]

Lazio represented New York's 2nd congressional district as a Republican. He was first elected in 1992, defeating the incumbent, Thomas Downey, who had served for eighteen years.{{cite news|title=THE 1992 ELECTION: NEW YORK STATE -- U.S. HOUSE RACES; Green and Downey Lose as New York State Delegation Changes Dramatically|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/04/nyregion/1992-election-new-york-state-us-house-races-green-downey-lose-new-york-state.html|last=Barbanel |first=Josh |work=The New York Times|date=November 4, 1992}} Lazio served four terms from 1993 to 2001.

In Congress, Lazio served as Deputy Majority Whip, Assistant Majority Leader, and Chairman of the House Banking Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity. He was "widely viewed as the most influential moderate in a leadership dominated by conservatives."{{cite news|last1=Dao|first1=James|title=TIES THAT BIND: A special report.; Lazio's G.O.P. Role Is a Campaign Asset But Also a Liability|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/22/nyregion/ties-that-bind-special-report-lazio-s-gop-role-campaign-asset-but-also-liability.html?pagewanted=all|work=New York Times |date=October 22, 2000}} From his earliest days in Congress, Lazio made housing one of his primary issues.{{cite news|last1=Lambert|first1=Bruce|title=Lazio Sought to Make a Legislative Mark in Housing|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/31/nyregion/lazio-sought-to-make-a-legislative-mark-in-housing.html?pagewanted=all|date=October 31, 2000|work=The New York Times}}

During his time in Congress, Lazio championed the case to award a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor to President Theodore Roosevelt for his charge up San Juan Hill in the Spanish–American War.{{cite news|last1=Kilian|first1=Michael|title=Teddy's Rough Ride|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1998/11/11/teddys-rough-ride/|publisher=Chicago Tribune|date=November 11, 1998}} Congress eventually passed legislation asking the president to grant the honor, and President Clinton awarded the medal in January 2001.{{cite news|title=Medal Of Honor For Teddy Roosevelt|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2001/01/12/medal-of-honor-for-teddy-roosevelt/|publisher=Chicago Tribune|date=January 12, 2001}}

In 2000, Lazio ran for the U.S. Senate from New York against Hillary Clinton in the race to succeed Daniel Patrick Moynihan. His comparatively late entry into the race (five months before Election Day) followed New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's decision to withdraw from the Senate race. Lazio announced his candidacy for Senate on all five major Sunday morning talk shows on the same day, making him the second person ever to complete a Full Ginsburg.{{cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/pundit_central/2000/05/lazios_coming_out_party.html|title=Lazio's Coming Out Party |website=Slate |date=May 22, 2000}}

At the time, the race between Lazio and Hillary Clinton was the most expensive Senate campaign ever conducted.{{cite news|last1=Levy|first1=Clifford|title=Lazio Sets Spending Mark for a Losing Senate Bid|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/13/nyregion/lazio-sets-spending-mark-for-a-losing-senate-bid.html|date=December 13, 2000|work=The New York Times}}

During a September 13, 2000 debate in Buffalo, Lazio walked across the stage to Clinton and placed a campaign pledge in front of her. That action was "perceived as bullying and chauvinistic", and it made Lazio into "an example of what not to do during a debate with a female opponent". In 2008, Lazio commented: "'At the time, I was making a point about a campaign finance pledge that Mrs. Clinton had made and I didn't feel that it was being honored. I thought that was the opportunity to make the point. On substance, it was right - and on style and perception, it was a mistake, which I regret'".{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsday.com/news/nation/lazio-admits-mistake-in-debate-with-clinton-1.883924|title=Lazio admits mistake in debate with Clinton|first=Reid |last=Epstein|date=October 1, 2008|website=Newsday|language=en|access-date=2019-03-16}}

On November 7, 2000, Lazio lost the Senate race to Clinton by a margin of 55%-43%.{{Cite web|url=https://buffalonews.com/news/hillary-heads-to-senate-jubilant-first-lady-gets-55-of-vote/article_a4d86c00-636c-5609-a250-7c577c894e98.html|title=HILLARY HEADS TO SENATE JUBILANT FIRST LADY GETS 55% OF VOTE|first=TOM PRECIOUS AND JERRY|last=ZREMSKI|website=The Buffalo News|date=November 8, 2000 }}

{{See also|2010 New York gubernatorial election}}

Lazio announced his candidacy for governor of New York on September 22, 2009 in Albany.{{cite news |url=https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Lazio-enters-race-for-governor-554645.php |title=Lazio enters race for governor |website=Times Union |date=September 23, 2009 |access-date=September 15, 2021}}

On June 2, 2010, Lazio received the New York State Republican Party's designation to run for governor. However, Carl Paladino, a candidate backed by the Tea Party movement,{{cite news|url=http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article187686.ece|title=Long Islanders put Paladino to test as their cup of tea|publisher=Buffalo News|date=September 12, 2010}} soundly defeated Lazio in the Republican gubernatorial primary on September 14, 2010.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/nyregion/15webnygov.html|title=Paladino Stuns N.Y. G.O.P. With Victory|first1=David M.|last1=Halbfinger|first2=Michael|last2=Barbaro|work=The New York Times |date=September 14, 2010|via=NYTimes.com}}{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2010/Primary/2010PrimaryElectionResults.pdf |work=New York State Board of Elections |date=September 14, 2010 |title=Statewide Republican Gubernatorial Primary |access-date=2 September 2019}} On September 27, Lazio, who had won the Conservative Party primary, confirmed that he would drop his bid for Governor by accepting a paper candidate nomination for a judicial position in the Bronx he did not expect to win.{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/nyregion/28lazio.html | title=Lazio Leaves Race, Giving Reluctant Aid to a Rival | author=Halbfinger, David M. | newspaper=The New York Times | date=2010-09-27 | access-date=2010-09-28}}

File:Rick Lazio (21613491013).jpg

Following his loss in the 2000 U.S. Senate election, Lazio became CEO of the Financial Services Forum. Later, he became the managing director of global real assets for JPMorgan.{{cite news|last1=Vielkind|first1=Jimmy|title=Lazio's 2009 JPMorgan Bonus: $1.3 Million|url=http://observer.com/2009/12/lazios-2009-jpmorgan-bonus-13-million/|date=December 11, 2009 |publisher=Observer}}

As of 2017, Lazio led the housing finance practice group of Jones Walker LLP.{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/05/09/527046451/affordable-housing-program-costs-more-shelters-less|title=Affordable Housing Program Costs More, Shelters Fewer|first1=Laura |last1=Sullivan |first2=Meg |last2=Anderson|date=May 9, 2017|website=NPR.org}}

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In 1989, Lazio married nurse Patricia Moriarty. They have two children.{{cite web|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/20000730mag-ricklazio.html|title= The Ingratiator |last=Traub|first=James|work=The New York Times Magazine|date=July 30, 2000|accessdate=July 3, 2022}}

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Category:1958 births

Category:20th-century New York (state) politicians

Category:21st-century New York (state) politicians

Category:American prosecutors

Category:Conservative Party of New York State politicians

Category:County legislators in New York (state)

Category:Living people

Category:People from Amityville, New York

Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)

Category:Vassar College alumni

Category:Washington College of Law alumni

Category:American people of Italian descent

Category:Members of Congress who became lobbyists

Category:20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Category:JPMorgan Chase people