Edward Irving Koch was born in the Bronx on
December 12, 1924. He served as the 105th Mayor of New York City for
three terms from 1978 to 1989. In 1989, he ran for a fourth term as Mayor and
was defeated by David Dinkins in the Democratic primary. Prior to being Mayor,
Mr. Koch served for nine years as a Congressman and two years as a member of the
New York City Council.
He attended City College of New York from 1941 to
1943. In his last year of college, he was drafted into the Army where he served
with the 104th Infantry Division. He received two battle stars,
Combat Infantry badge, and was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant in
1946. In that year, he also attended the New York University School of Law. He
received his L.L.B. degree in 1948 and began to practice law immediately
thereafter. In 1981, CCNY awarded Mr. Koch a B.A. degree.
Mr. Koch is credited with many major achievements
as Mayor. First and foremost, he restored fiscal stability to the City of New
York, and he was responsible for placing the City on a GAAP (Generally Accepted
Accounting Practices) balanced budget basis. He created a housing program
which, over a ten-year period, provided 150,000 units of affordable housing
financed by city funds in the amount of $5.1 billion.
He is currently a partner in the law firm of Bryan
Cave LLP and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Heart
Association in New York City. He hosts a Saturday radio program on Bloomberg AM
1130 (WBBR) and is also a commentator on that same station. Mr. Koch is a weekly
guest on NY1 television, and each week he writes a political column and
publishes movie reviews. He is a co-columnist with former Senator Al D’Amato
for New York Magazine, and he lectures around the country and overseas.
Mr. Koch is the author of numerous books and
articles. His book titles include: Mayor, 1984; Politics, 1985;
His Eminence And Hizzoner, 1989; All The Best, 1990; Citizen
Koch, 1992; Ed Koch On Everything, 1994; Murder At City Hall,
1995; Murder On Broadway, 1996; Murder on 34th Street,
1997; The Senator Must Die, 1998; Giuliani: Nasty Man, 1999;
I’m Not Done Yet: Remaining Relevant, 2000).
