Joseph Patrick Addabbo
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| Joseph P. Addabbo, Sr. | |
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Representative, New York
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| In office January 1961 - April 1986 |
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| Preceded by | Albert Bosch (R) |
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| Succeeded by | Alton R. Waldon, Jr. (D) |
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| Born | March 17, 1925 Queens, New York |
| Died | April 10, 1986 (aged 61) Washington, D.C. |
| Nationality | american |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Joseph Patrick Addabbo (March 17, 1925 - April 10, 1986) was a New York City politician who served as a Democrat in the United States House of Representatives from 1961 to 1986. As the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee defense subcommittee in the 1980s, he was a noted critic of President Ronald Reagan's massive defense spending increases.
Addabbo was born in Queens, New York and lived in the borough his entire life. He was a 1946 graduate of St. John's Law School and practiced law in Ozone Park, New York before his election to Congress in 1960. Addabbo was the Democratic nominee to replace Queens Rep. Albert H. Bosch, a Republican who left Congress to begin a judicial career.
[edit] Defense spending critic
Addabbo became chairman of the defense spending subcommittee in 1979. In the post, he frequently sparred with President Reagan and was a favorite media source for accounts of the epic military spending battles in the early 1980s. Addabbo created a yearly routine of calling for deep cuts to the administration's budget. In 1983, he proposed slashing Reagan's defense spending plan by $30 billion. Though Addabbo's efforts were usually unsuccessful, he managed to eliminate funding for MX and Pershing missiles in 1982.
[edit] Final campaigns & death
Although he usually sailed to reelection in his overwhelming Democratic district, a reapportionment following the 1980 census spelled trouble for Addabbo in his final two campaigns. His redrawn district was 65 percent African American, leaving him open to a surprisingly strong primary challenge from black real estate developer Simeon Golar in 1982. Two years later, Golar ran again with the active backing of then-presidential candidate Jesse Jackson, but Addabbo won again.
Addabbo's health started to fail shortly after his 1984 re-election. In 1985, he spent four months in the Walter Reed Army Medical Center with a cancer-related kidney ailment. After returning to work for two months in early 1986, he fell ill at a luncheon in March and lapsed into a coma on March 12. He died a month later, aged 61, and was buried in Saint John's Cemetery, Queens.
After Addabbo's death, Queens elected its first African-American congressman after a disputed special election between two black candidates. In 2001, Addabbo's son, Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., was elected as the New York City Council representative for District 32 in Queens.
| Preceded by Albert H. Bosch |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 5th congressional district 1961–1963 |
Succeeded by Frank J. Becker |
| Preceded by James J. Delaney |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 7th congressional district 1963–1983 |
Succeeded by Benjamin S. Rosenthal |
| Preceded by John LeBoutillier |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 6th congressional district 1983–1986 |
Succeeded by Alton R. Waldon, Jr. |
[edit] References
- Joseph Patrick Addabbo at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Office of the Clerk. U.S. House of Representatives. Election Information.
- Associated Press. "Rep. Joseph Addabbo, 61, budget watchdog." Miami Herald. 04/12/1986. p. 3B.
- Hornblower, Margot. "Addabbo Fighting Jackson's Coattails in Changing N.Y. District." The Washington Post. 09/10/1984. p. A2.
- Wilson, George C. "Rep. Addabbo Will Try to Cut Defense Budget by $30 Billion." The Washington Post. 02/09/1983. p. A7.
