John Zaccaro
John Anthony Zaccaro (born April 5, 1933)[1] is the husband of the U.S. House of Representatives member and Democratic Party 1984 Vice Presidential nominee, Geraldine Ferraro (D-NY). He is a real estate developer and owner of P. Zaccaro & Company, which was founded by his father Philip Zaccaro in 1935.[2][3] The company acts as a landlord for properties in the Little Italy, Chinatown, and East Side areas of Manhattan and in Queens.[1]
[edit] Biography
Zaccaro was born in the Bay Ridge, Brooklyn neighborhood, to Italian American parents born in the U.S.[1] When an infant the family moved, and he grew up in Forest Hills, Queens.[1] He attended Loyola School and Rhodes Preparatory School, both in Manhattan.[1] A severe football injury left him unavailable for the draft, but he nonetheless joined the United States Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class, becoming a second lieutenant.[1] At the same time he attended Iona College from 1951 to 1955 and graduated with a degree in business administration.[1]
Zaccaro and Ferraro met in 1954, when she was a sophomore at Marymount Manhattan College.[1] They became engaged in August 1959,[4] and married on July 16, 1960.[1] They have three children, Donna (born 1962), John Jr. (born 1964), and Laura (born 1966).[1]
By 1984, Zaccaro company owned or managed over 20 residential and commercial properties in Manhattan.[3] His buildings had accumulated over 100 mostly minor code violations, although in some tenants complained of poor living conditions in apartments.[3]
During his wife's campaign for vice president, he became the center of controversy due to their finances and his refusal to release his separately-filed tax returns.[2][5] Ultimately they were submitted.[6]
In January 1985, Zaccaro pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining bank financing in a real estate transaction and was sentenced to 150 hours of community service.[7] Then in October 1986, he was indicted on unrelated felony charges regarding an alleged 1981 bribery of Queens Borough President Donald Manes concerning a cable television contract.[8] A full year later, he was acquitted at trial.[9]
Zaccaro's business associations have also created controversy,[10] and they and the couple's finances again became a damaging issue during her 1992 Senate Democratic primary campaign[11] (which she entered as the front-runner, and lost by a close margin).[12] Zaccaro was not an issue in her 1998 Senate Democratic primary campaign, which she also lost.[13]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Blumenthal, Ralph (1984-08-18). "Ferraro's Husband: Competitive, Private Man". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=FB0910FC395C0C7B8DDDA10894DC484D81.
- ^ a b Gerth, Jeff and Blumenthal, Ralph (1984-07-26). "Rep. Ferraro's Transactions Detailed in Public Records". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F40E14FE345D0C758EDDAE0894DC484D81.
- ^ a b c Blumenthal, Ralph (2008-09-04). "When the Press Vetted Geraldine Ferraro". The New York Times. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/when-the-press-vetted-geraldine-ferraro/. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
- ^ "John Zaccaro Fiance Of Geraldine Ferraro". The New York Times. 1959-08-09. http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F30A15F73F5F1A7B93CBA91783D85F4D8585F9.
- ^ Raines, Howell (1984-08-14). "G.O.P. Seizes 'Genderless Issue' of Tax Returns to Attack Ferraro". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F70610FC3E5C0C778DDDA10894DC484D81.
- ^ Roberts, Sam (1984-08-22). "Ferraro Denies Any Wrongdoing; 2d Loan By Zaccaro From Estate". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06EFDF1338F931A1575BC0A962948260.
- ^ Blumenthal, Ralph (1985-02-21). "Judge Sentences Zaccaro to Work in Public Service". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E03EFDD1239F932A15751C0A963948260.
- ^ Lamar Jr., Jacob V. (1986-10-13). "The Family Ties That Bind". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,962540,00.html.
- ^ James, George (1987-10-15). "Jury Acquits Zaccaro of Seeking To Extort Cable Television Bribe". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEEDC133DF936A25753C1A96194826.
- ^ "Hiding Her Cards", Wayne Barrett, Village Voice, September 1, 1998.
- ^ Mitchell, Alison (1992-09-01). "For Ferraro, Cheers of '84 Are Still Resonating". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE6DD1239F932A3575AC0A964958260.
- ^ Purdum, Todd S. (1992-09-16). "Abrams, In Tight Senate Vote, Appears to Edge Out Ferraro". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE6DC1E31F935A2575AC0A964958260.
- ^ Waldman, Amy (1998-09-17). "The Farewell: For Ferraro, Early Promise, Lopsided Loss". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E00E1DA1F31F934A2575AC0A96E958260.
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Joan Mondale |
Spouse of the Democratic Vice-Presidential Nominee 1984 |
Succeeded by Beryl Ann Longino |
