Oliver Koppell | |
---|---|
Member of the New York City Council from the 11th district | |
In office January 1, 2002 –December 31, 2013 | |
Preceded by | June Eisland |
Succeeded by | Andrew Cohen |
Constituency | Bronx:Kingsbridge,Riverdale,Woodlawn Heights,Norwood,parts of Bedford Park,Wakefield and Bronx Park East. |
61st Attorney General of New York | |
In office January 1,1994 –December 31,1994 | |
Governor | Mario Cuomo |
Preceded by | Robert Abrams |
Succeeded by | Dennis Vacco |
Member of the New York State Assembly | |
In office March 3,1970 –December 31,1993 | |
Preceded by | Benjamin Altman |
Succeeded by | Jeffrey Dinowitz |
Constituency | 84th district (1970–82) 80th district (1983–92) 81st district (1993) |
Personal details | |
Born | Bronx,New York,U.S. | December 15,1940
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Lorraine Coyle Koppell |
Residence(s) | Bronx,New York,U.S. |
Alma mater | Harvard College Harvard Law School |
Profession | Lawyer |
Gabriel Oliver Koppell (born December 15,1940) is an American lawyer and politician from New York City. A member of the Democratic Party,he is a former member of the New York City Council and the former New York Attorney General.
Koppell was born on December 15,1940,in New York City. His parents,refugees from Nazi Germany,moved to the Bronx when Oliver was two years old. Koppell attended Bronx elementary schools,the Bronx High School of Science,Harvard College and Harvard Law School,from which he graduated cum laude. [1] While at Harvard College,he founded Let's Go Travel Guides. He is Jewish. [2]
Koppell's first marriage ended in divorce. He is now married to Lorraine Coyle Koppell,an attorney who narrowly lost a race for the New York State Senate in 2000 to Guy Velella. He has three children,all of whom were raised in the Bronx and attended Bronx public schools,and five grandchildren. [1] Koppell is active in the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club. He has been a resident of Fieldston in the Bronx. [3]
Koppell was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1970 to 1994.
On March 3,1970,Koppell was elected as an Independent to the New York State Assembly,to fill the vacancy caused by the appointment of Benjamin Altman as New York City Commissioner of Rent and Housing Maintenance. While in the Assembly,he served as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee,and passed the New York bottle bill.
Koppell was re-elected several times as a Democrat,and remained in the Assembly until 1993,sitting in the 178th,179th,180th,181st,182nd,183rd,184th,185th,186th,187th,188th,189th and 190th New York State Legislatures
In 1981,Koppell ran for Bronx Borough President,but was defeated in the Democratic primary by the incumbent,Stanley Simon.
On December 16,1993,Koppell was elected by the New York State Legislature to fill the unexpired term of New York Attorney General Robert Abrams. [4] As attorney general,Koppell successfully brought a lawsuit to allow drivers under the age of 25 to obtain rental cars in the State of New York. Mr. Koppell initiated dozens of public interest lawsuits,collected over $100,000,000 for the state treasury,and negotiated the largest environmental settlement in the history of New York. [5]
In 1994,Koppell sought a full term as attorney general,but lost to Judge Karen Burstein in the Democratic Primary. He finished second,ahead of Brooklyn District Attorney Charles "Joe" Hynes and prosecutor Eliot Spitzer.
In 1998,he again sought the Democratic nomination for attorney general. He finished third in the primary,behind Spitzer,who won,and State Senator Catherine Abate. Koppell finished ahead of Charles Davis,a former staffer for former Governor Mario Cuomo.
He served as a member of the New York City Council from District 11 in the Bronx,covering the neighborhoods of Riverdale,Kingsbridge,Woodlawn Heights,Van Cortlandt Village,Norwood,and Bedford Park. He was elected to the Council in 2001,and defeated Ari Hoffnung by a 3 to 1 margin in 2005.
On September 15,2009,Koppell defeated challenger,Tony Perez Casino winning 65% of the vote. Due to term limits,Koppell left the City Council on December 31,2013.
In 2014,Koppell ran against incumbent State Senator Jeffrey D. Klein in the Democratic Party primary,and was defeated on a 60 to 40 margin. Koppell ran on the basis of disbanding the Independent Democratic Conference (a Democratic group of senators who caucused with Republicans),led by Klein. [6]
Riverdale is a residential neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the New York City borough of the Bronx. Riverdale,which had a population of 47,850 as of the 2000 United States Census,contains the city's northernmost point at the College of Mount Saint Vincent. Riverdale's boundaries are disputed,but it is commonly agreed to be bordered by Yonkers to the north,Van Cortlandt Park and Broadway to the east,the Kingsbridge neighborhood to the southeast,either the Harlem River or the Spuyten Duyvil neighborhood to the south,and the Hudson River to the west. Riverdale Avenue is the primary north–south thoroughfare through Riverdale.
The 2006 New York gubernatorial election took place on November 7,2006,to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of New York,concurrently with elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections,then incumbent Republican governor George Pataki chose not to run for re-election in a fourth term. Democrat Eliot Spitzer,the New York Attorney General,won the election over former Republican state Assembly minority leader John Faso. As of 2024,this is the last time the Governor's office in New York changed partisan control. This was the first open-seat election since 1982. Primary elections were held on September 12. This is the last gubernatorial election where any of the following counties voted Democratic:Genesee,Chautauqua,Cattaraugus,Niagara,Fulton,Steuben,Tioga &Schoharie.
The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four-year term. Official duties dictated to the lieutenant governor under the present New York Constitution are to serve as president of the state senate,serve as acting governor in the absence of the governor from the state or the disability of the governor,or to become governor in the event of the governor's death,resignation or removal from office via impeachment. Additional statutory duties of the lieutenant governor are to serve on the New York Court for the Trial of Impeachments,the State Defense Council,and on the board of trustees of the College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The lieutenant governor of New York is the highest-paid lieutenant governor in the country.
Robert Abrams is an American attorney and politician. He served as the attorney general of New York from 1979 to 1993 and was the Democratic nominee for the 1992 United States Senate election in New York.
Jeffrey David Klein is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party. He represented the New York State Senate's 34th District,serving parts of Bronx and Westchester Counties from 2005 to 2018. Klein also served as Deputy Democratic Conference Leader.
Jeffrey Dinowitz is an American politician who represents District 81 in the New York State Assembly,which comprises Kingsbridge,Marble Hill,Norwood,Riverdale,Van Cortlandt Village,Wakefield,and Woodlawn Heights. Dinowitz has served in the New York State Assembly since 1994.
New York held various elections on November 7,2006. Most notably,elections were held for the state governor,attorney general,comptroller,and for the U.S. Senate,all of which saw Democrats win and build on their existing majority. While Democrats had already been a strong force in the New York City area,most of the Democratic gains in 2006 occurred upstate. Former Attorney General Eliot Spitzer won the 2006 gubernatorial election by a record margin,while Andrew Cuomo replaced him as the new attorney general. Alan Hevesi was re-elected as comptroller,despite mounting ethics concerns. Hillary Clinton was re-elected to the Senate. For the first time in over 50 years,all major statewide elected offices were held by one party. For the first time in over 60 years,they were all held by Democrats.
The 1998 New York Attorney General election took place on November 3,1998 along with elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Democratic challenger Eliot Spitzer unseated one-term Republican incumbent Dennis Vacco in a major upset,with Vacco conceding on December 14,after accusing New York City voters,primarily in predominately Black and Latino areas of voter fraud.
The 2010 New York state elections took place on November 2,2010. Due to the special election for US Senate,all of New York's six statewide offices were up for popular election on the same date. At the same time,all 29 members from New York of the U.S. House of Representatives,all 212 members of the New York State legislature,and many other local officials were elected.
Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American politician and attorney who served as the 54th governor of New York from 2007 until his resignation in 2008. A member of the Democratic Party,he was also the 63rd attorney general of New York from 1999 to 2006.
Pedro Espada Jr. is an American former politician and ex-convict. A Democrat,Espada served multiple nonconsecutive terms in the New York State Senate.
Victor B. Tosi is a New York politician.
Luis R. Sepúlveda is an American attorney and politician who currently serves as the New York State Senator from the 32nd Senate District,which includes parts of the Bronx. Prior to being in the state senate Sepúlveda was a member of the New York State Assembly from 2013 to 2018.
Andrew Cohen is a Justice of the Bronx branch of the New York Supreme Court. He is a Democrat. He was previously the councilmember for the 11th district of the New York City Council,resigning in 2020,with Eric Dinowitz winning the special election to succeed him. The district includes Bedford Park,Kingsbridge,Norwood,Riverdale,Van Cortlandt Village,Wakefield,and Woodlawn Heights in The Bronx.
The Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) was a group of several Democratic members of the New York State Senate that was formed to caucus with the Republican Party and protect its status as the majority party. At the time of its dissolution,the IDC included eight members:Jeffrey D. Klein,Marisol Alcantara,Tony Avella,David Carlucci,Jesse Hamilton,Jose Peralta,Diane Savino,and David Valesky.
The 190th New York State Legislature,consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly,met from January 6,1993,to December 31,1994,during the eleventh and twelfth years of Mario Cuomo's governorship,in Albany.
The 191st New York State Legislature,consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly,met from January 4,1995,to December 31,1996,during the first and second years of George Pataki's governorship,in Albany.
The 2018 New York Attorney General election took place on November 6,2018. New York City Public Advocate Letitia James,a Democrat,was elected. James is the first woman and the first African-American to be elected New York Attorney General.
Alessandra Rose Biaggi is an American politician who served as a member of the New York State Senate from 2019 to 2022,representing the 34th district,which includes portions of Bronx and Westchester Counties. She was the chair of the New York State Senate Committee on Ethics and Internal Governance. She is the granddaughter of former U.S. Congressman Mario Biaggi.
The 1994 New York Attorney General election took place on November 8,1994. Republican nominee Dennis Vacco narrowly defeated Democratic nominee Karen Burstein. As of 2023,this is the last time a Republican was elected Attorney General of New York.