Cuomo << KWOH moh >>, Mario Matthew (1932-2015), gained national attention as the governor of New York. Cuomo, a Democrat, was governor from 1983 to 1994. He was the first Italian American elected to that office. A powerful orator, Cuomo established himself as a potential presidential candidate when he delivered a stirring address at the 1984 Democratic National Convention.
Cuomo was born on June 15, 1932, in New York City. He received a bachelor’s degree in 1953 from St. John’s College (now St. John’s University). In 1956, Cuomo received a law degree from St. John’s. From 1956 to 1958, he served as a legal assistant to Judge Adrian Burke of New York’s Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court. Cuomo then entered private law practice. 
Cuomo first attracted public attention in 1972, when he settled a bitter housing dispute between African Americans and Jews in New York City. He was appointed New York secretary of state in 1975. Cuomo was elected lieutenant governor in 1978. He was elected governor in 1982 and reelected in 1986 and 1990. In 1994, he lost a bid for a fourth term. In 1995, he returned to the practice of law. Cuomo’s son Andrew M. Cuomo served as United States secretary of housing and urban development from 1997 to 2001 and as governor of New York from 2011 to 2021.
Mario Cuomo was the author of a number of books. His published works include a collection of his speeches, More Than Words (1993), and a children’s book, The Blue Spruce (1999). In Why Lincoln Matters: Today More Than Ever (2004), Cuomo discussed how President Abraham Lincoln’s words apply to modern political situations. Cuomo died on Jan. 1, 2015.
