Thomas Gulotta
{{Short description|American politician (1944–2019)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|image=
|office1=6th County Executive of Nassau County
|predecessor1=Francis T. Purcell
|successor1= Tom Suozzi
|term_start1=January 16, 1987
|term_end1=December 31, 2001
|office2=Presiding Supervisor of Hempstead
|term_start2=1981
|term_end2=1987
|predecessor2=Al D'Amato
|successor2=Joseph Mondello
|state_assembly3=New York
|district3=13th
|predecessor3=Milton Jonas
|successor3=Guy Mazza
|term_start3=1977
|term_end3=1981
|party=Republican
|religion=
|spouse=Betsy Gulotta
|birth_name=Thomas Stephen Gulotta
|birth_date={{Birth date|1944|4|27}}
|birth_place=Oceanside, New York, U.S.
|death_date= {{death date and age|2019|8|4|1944|4|27}}
|death_place=Oceanside, New York, U.S.
|education={{ubl|Trinity College (BA)|Columbia University (JD)}}
|profession=lawyer
}}
Thomas Stephen Gulotta (April 27, 1944 – August 4, 2019) was an American Republican politician from Nassau County, New York, who was the county executive of Nassau from 1987 to 2001.
Early life
Gulotta was born in Oceanside, New York, on April 27, 1944,{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE3DC1E3FF934A25752C0A961948260 |title=Man in the News; Nassau's New Leader: Thomas Stephen Gulotta |date=1987-01-17 |access-date=2009-11-22 |work=The New York Times |page=30 |author=Gutis, Philip S.}} the son of Josephine and Frank Gulotta Sr.{{cite news |title=The Man Who Could Not Say No Cries Uncle |date=2001-03-18 |author=Baker, Al |work=The New York Times |page=LI1}} His father was a former Nassau County district attorney and former New York State Supreme Court judge. The younger Gulotta was raised on Long Island and attended Malverne High School, where he was student president. He graduated from Trinity College, and earned a law degree from Columbia Law School in 1969.
Career
Gulotta was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1977 to 1981, sitting in the 182nd, 183rd and 184th New York state legislatures. He represented a district that included his hometown of Merrick, New York, until 1981 when he was selected to become the presiding supervisor of the town of Hempstead, succeeding Al D'Amato, who had been elected to the United States Senate.{{cite news|title=D'Amato Picks Transition Group|author=Carroll, Maurice|date=1980-11-11|page=B3|work=The New York Times}} He was re-elected to the position in 1983.{{cite news|title=The 1983 Elections: Facts and Figures|work=The New York Times|date=1983-11-10|page=A1}}
On January 16, 1987, Gulotta was appointed county executive by the county's board of supervisors, and was elected to a full term in November 1987.{{cite news|title=Gulotta: Tireless Executive|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE4DF1531F932A35752C1A961948260|work=The New York Times|date=1987-11-01|author=Schmitt, Eric|page=22}} He opted not to run for a fifth term in 2001, after having won 11 straight elections.{{cite news|title=Former Nassau County Executive Tom Gulotta has new home at Mineola law firm|date=2004-01-23|publisher=Long Island Business News|author=Mancini, Rosamaria}} His successor was Democrat Tom Suozzi.
Gulotta later founded Executive Strategies, a consulting firm, and joined the law firm of Shaw, Licitra, Bohner, Eserino, Schwartz & Pfluger in Mineola, New York, and was named a partner of the firm in 2004.{{cite news|title=Tom Gulotta makes a name for himself at Shaw, Licitra|date=2004-10-22|publisher=Long Island Business News|author=Solnick, Claude}} At the time of his death in 2019 Gulotta was a special counsel at Albanese & Albanese, LLP, a law firm in Garden City, New York.{{cite web|title=Gulotta Honored At American Kidney Fund Golf Outing|url=http://www.longislandpress.com/2009/08/31/gulotta-honored-at-american-kidney-fund-golf-outing|publisher=Long Island Press|date=2009-08-31|access-date=2009-11-22|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727130129/http://www.longislandpress.com/2009/08/31/gulotta-honored-at-american-kidney-fund-golf-outing/|archive-date=July 27, 2011}}
Personal life
Gulotta married Elizabeth Abbott Fryatt; they had two living children.{{cite news|title=Elizabeth Fryatt Engaged to Wed Thomas Gulotta|date=1968-12-15|access-date=2009-11-22|page=103|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/12/15/archives/elizabeth-fryatt-engaged-to-wed-thomas-gulotta.html}}
Gulotta died on August 4, 2019, at the age of 75.{{Cite news|last=Brand|first=Rick|date=August 5, 2019 |url=https://www.newsday.com/long-island/obituaries/thomas-gulotta-obituary-1.34689124|title=Ex-County Executive Thomas Gulotta dies at 75|work=Newsday|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190805213150/https://www.newsday.com/long-island/obituaries/thomas-gulotta-obituary-1.34689124|archive-date=August 5, 2019}}
References
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{{succession box | title = New York State Assembly
13th district | before = Milton Jonas | years = 1977–1981 | after = Guy Mazza }}
{{succession box | before= Francis T. Purcell | title = County Executive of Nassau County, New York | after = Tom Suozzi | years = 1987–2001}}
{{s-end}}
{{Nassau County Executive}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gulotta, Thomas}}
Category:Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni
Category:Columbia Law School alumni
Category:Nassau County executives
Category:Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly
Category:People from Oceanside, New York
Category:People from Merrick, New York
Category:New York (state) lawyers
Category:Malverne High School alumni
Category:20th-century American lawyers
Category:20th-century members of the New York State Legislature