Guest Author - Linda Sue Grimes
For his strong leadership after the devastation of September 11, 2001, Rudy Giuliani was honored with the title of “America’s Mayor.”
Early Life and Education
On May 28, 1944, in Brooklyn, Rudy was born Rudolph William Louis Giuliani III, to Harold and Helen Giuliani. Both parents were the children of immigrants from Italy. He credits his strong work ethic and deep respect for American ideals including equal opportunity to his Italian immigrant ancestry and Roman Catholic values.
The Giulianis relocated to Garden City South on Long Island when Rudy was seven years old. He attended Catholic schools, St. Anne’s in Long Island and Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn. He graduated from high school in 1961 and began college at Manhattan College in the Bronx. After graduation from college in 1965, he enrolled in New York University School of Law, from which he earned his J.D. cum laude.
Law Career
After graduation, Giuliani served as a law clerk for Judge Lloyd MacMahon, United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York. In 1970, he was appointed to the Office of the U. S. Attorney. Three years later, he served as Chief of the Narcotics Unit and soon was promoted to executive U.S. Attorney at age 29.
Giuliani was picked to work in Washington, D.C., in 1975 when he was appointed Associate Deputy General; then, he returned to private law practice 1977. In 1981, he was appointed Associate Attorney General, which is the third highest position in the Justice Department; he directed all of the enforcement agencies of the U. S. attorney’s office.
After becoming the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Giuliani successfully launched an attack on organized crime, white collar crime, drug dealing, and corruption in city government. His record on crime fighting is impressive and far exceeds that of most other U. S. attorneys. Some of his most noted cases include the mafia’s “Pizza Connection” and the Wall Street cases of corruption, as well as his successful prosecution of political criminals.
Mayor
In 1993, Giuliani was elected mayor of New York City. He promised to reform welfare, reduce crime, and improve the life quality of the City. In a city with five times more Democrats than Republicans, this Republican mayor was then reelected in 1997, receiving 57% of the vote.
The crime rate declined 56% under Giuliani, with the murder rate lowered by 66%. According to the FBI, the City once maligned as the crime capital of America was hailed as the safest large city in the country. The strategies put in place by Mayor Giuliani have been used by cities around the world. In 1966, his CompStat program won the Innovations in Government Award bestowed by the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
He lowered the welfare enrollment of 640,000 by 60%, turning welfare offices into job centers. Faced with a $2.3-billion deficit upon becoming mayor, he turned the deficit into more than a $3-billion surplus, adding upwards of 423,000 new jobs. The New York rebirth led to record growth in tourism, as visitors flocked to the city for vacations.
Giuliani’s leadership in the face of the 9/11 attacks won him the Ronald Reagan Presidential Freedom Award, presented to him by former First Lady Nancy Reagan. Describing his management skills that can be used by anyone who had to manage anything, he penned his memoir Leadership in 2002, and it sold over a million copies internationally.
President?
In February 2007, Rudy Giuliani announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for president in 2008. He is thus far the leading candidate of the ten announced Republican candidates vying for that office.
While most Republicans find him acceptable in areas of foreign policy and fiscal issues, they worry about his more liberal social stances on abortion, gay marriage, and gun control. For more information about Giuliani’s position on the issues, please see On the Issues on the joinrudy2008.com campaign web site.
Reference:
Rudy Giulani
2001 Person of the Year TIME Magazine
