Badillo, Herman, 1929-2014

Herman Badillo (August 21, 1929 – December 3, 2014) was a trailblazing Puerto Rican politician. Initially a member of the Democratic Party, he served as borough president of The Bronx and U.S. Representative from New York's 21st and 22nd congressional districts. Badillo was the first Puerto Rican elected to these posts. An unsuccessful five-time candidate for the Democratic nomination for Mayor of New York City, he was the first Puerto Rican mayoral candidate in a major city in the continental United States. Towards the end of his political career, he became a member of the Republican Party, unsuccessfully running for the Republican nomination for Mayor of New York in 2001.

Born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, he moved to New York City with an aunt in 1941. After briefly living with other relatives in Chicago and California, he eventually graduated from Haaren High School in Manhattan before attending the City College of New York, where he earned a B.B.A., and Brooklyn Law School, where he earned an LL.B. In 1955, he was admitted to the New York State Bar. The following year, he also became a certified public accountant. After joining the Caribe Democratic Club in 1958, Badillo held various offices within the City and State, including Bronx Borough President in 1966. Prior to that he served as New York Commissioner of Housing Preservation and Development.

In 1970 Badillo was elected to the United States House of Representatives from New York's 21st District in the South Bronx, becoming the first person born in Puerto Rico to represent a district in the continental United States and the first person of Puerto Rican descent to serve as a voting Member of Congress. He was re-elected for three subsequent consecutive terms. Throughout his tenure in the House, Badillo demonstrated a community-centered approach, spending significant amounts of time in his district. On November 29, 1977, Badillo stunned local political observers by announcing that he intended to resign from the House to serve as deputy mayor under Koch. After his relationship with Koch soured, he resumed practicing law in 1979.

In 1986 Badillo attempted to revive his political career, but his run for a statewide comptroller position was unsuccessful. In 1993 he joined Rudy Giuliani’s Republican-Liberal fusion ticket as a candidate for city comptroller. Though Giuliani narrowly won the mayoral election, Badillo lost to New York assemblyman Alan Hevesi. In 1998 Badillo officially switched his party affiliation to Republican. In his last campaign, Badillo lost the Republican mayoral primary to Mike Bloomberg in 2001. After his congressional career, Badillo held a variety of administrative positions and worked as an attorney. Consistent with his long-standing interest in education, he served as a trustee for the City University of New York (CUNY); Badillo served as vice chairman of the board from 1997 to 1999 and as chairman from 1999 to 2001. He died in Manhattan, New York.