Mario Cuomo was leading voice in liberal politics
ALBANY, N.Y. — Mario Cuomo, a leading liberal voice who served three terms as governor of New York, died just hours after his son Andrew began his second term as the state’s chief executive. He was 82.
The son of Italian immigrants, Mario Cuomo played minor league baseball before embarking on a legal and political career. His oratory and his dedication to progressive policies made him a political star, but despite calls to seek the White House, he never made a run for president.
Cuomo died Thursday of natural causes due to heart failure at his home, according to a statement released by the governor’s office. He was surrounded by his family. Hours earlier, the younger Cuomo delivered an inaugural address in which he honored his father.
“He is in the heart and mind of every person who is here,” Andrew Cuomo said. “He is here and he is here, and his inspiration and his legacy and his experience is what has brought this state to this point. So let’s give him a round of applause.”
President Barack Obama telephoned Cuomo Thursday and offered his condolences. In a statement, the president called Mario Cuomo “a determined champion of progressive values, and an unflinching voice for tolerance, inclusiveness, fairness, dignity, and opportunity.”
Cuomo served as New York governor from 1983 through 1994 and became nationally celebrated for his ability to weave the story of his humble upbringing with ringing calls for social justice.
His last public appearance came in November, when Andrew was re-elected governor of New York. Mario Cuomo’s big political break came in 1982 when, as New York’s lieutenant governor, he won the Democratic nomination for governor in an upset over New York Mayor Ed Koch. He went on to beat conservative millionaire Republican Lewis Lehrman.
