Hundreds turn out for funeral of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo
Mario Cuomo. Juliet Kaye / Shutterstock.com
Hundreds turned out to pay respects to the late Mario Cuomo, who passed away Jan.1.
According to the New York Daily News and the New York Times, Cuomo’s funeral, which was held Tuesday at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in Manhattan, attracted hundreds of mourners, including former President Bill Clinton, his wife, Hillary Clinton, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and former mayor Rudy Giuliani. The late Cuomo’s son, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, delivered the eulogy and called his father a “humanist” and praised him for his devotion to the underdog.
“At his core, at his best, he was a philosopher, and he was a poet, and he was an advocate, and he was a crusader,” Gov, Cuomo said.
The elder Cuomo died of heart failure at the age of 82 in his Manhattan home on the same day his son was inaugurated for a second term as governor. Mario Cuomo had a lengthy career in politics that included three terms as governor from 1983-1994. Cuomo was, perhaps, better known for the races he didn’t win—notably a bitter loss to Ed Koch in the 1977 New York City mayoral race and flirtations with running for the presidency in both 1988 and 1992. Cuomo was also nearly nominated for the U.S. Supreme Court by President Clinton, only for Cuomo to turn down the offer. Cuomo joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher as of counsel in 1995 after losing his re-election bid to George Pataki, remaining at the firm until his death.
In his eulogy, Gov. Cuomo said he hoped the city, which has been increasingly troubled by tension between minorities and police officers, could learn from his father, who was governor during the Crown Heights race riots. “He knew racial and class divisions are the New York City fault lines,” Gov. Cuomo said. “They say your father never leaves you. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear his voice. But one doesn’t need to listen carefully or be his son to know what Mario Cuomo would say today. It’s time for this city to come together. It’s time to stop the negative energy and move this city forward.”
