Anthony 'Tony' D'Urso (born October 17, 1939) is an
Italian-American
Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, w ...
politician who represented the 16th District of the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Assem ...
from 2017 to 2020. First elected in 2016, he is a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
. The district includes the majority of the town of
North Hempstead
North Hempstead is one of three towns in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 237,639 at the 2020 census.
History
The area was first settled by Europeans around 1643 and became part of the town of Hemps ...
in
Nassau County on
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
.
Early life
Born in Italy, D'Urso immigrated to the United States at age 21 with only eight years of education. As a child in
Formia
Formia is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Latina, on the Mediterranean coast of Lazio, Italy. It is located halfway between Rome and Naples, and lies on the Roman-era Appian Way. It has a population of 38,095. Istat 2017
History
...
, Italy, he witnessed both of his parents risking their lives to hide a Jewish family from the German soldiers. During
the Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
, D'urso's father hid about 12
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
from the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
at great risk to his own family, saving them from deportation. With the help of
Michael Weinstock
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
, D'urso had the opportunity to meet members of the Sinigallias family in Naples in January 2018, descendants of the people his father rescued.
Career
D'Urso began his public service career in 1971 with the
, where he rose through the ranks to become assistant commissioner of the Division of Architecture Engineering and Construction. During this time, he also taught at
Bronx Community College
The Bronx Community College of the City University of New York (BCC) is a public community college in the Bronx, New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system.
History
The college was established in 1957 through the eff ...
and volunteered with youth sports teams and community organizations. While working full-time, he received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the
Pratt Institute School of Architecture
The Pratt Institute School of Architecture is located in New York City with courses being taught at Brooklyn and Manhattan campuses. In 2012 the journal 'DesignIntelligence' ranked it in the ten best architecture schools in the United States.
Alum ...
.
In 1991, D'Urso was elected councilman for the town of North Hempstead, and was reelected four times. He would be term limited in 2005. Over ten years later, Assemblywoman
Michelle Schimel
Michelle E. Schimel (born August 8, 1957) is a former Democratic member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 16th Assembly District in Nassau County from 2007 to 2016.
Early life and education
Schimel was born in Brooklyn, New Yo ...
announced in early 2016 that she would not seek a sixth term. While the district was considered competitive, Nassau Democrats coalesced behind D'Urso. Facing no primary, D'Urso was free to focus on the general election, where he would face Republican Matthew Varvaro, who he defeated, 52% to 48%, to take the seat. He was reelected easily in 2018, winning by a margin of 63% to 37%. In the Assembly, D'Urso is the chair of the Long Island Sound Committee.
On February 20, 2019,
Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
invited D'Urso to Rome and honored him, for his efforts hiding his Jewish friends from the Nazis, when he was a boy.
Personal life
D'Urso and his wife, Maria, lived in
New Hyde Park, New York
New Hyde Park is a village (New York), village in the Towns of Hempstead, New York, Hempstead and North Hempstead, New York, North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United States. ...
for 35 years before moving to
Port Washington, New York
Port Washington is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) on the Cow Neck Peninsula in the North Hempstead, New York, Town of North Hempstead, in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the North Shore (Long Island), No ...
, where they currently reside. They have four children.
References
External links
New York Assemblyman Anthony D'Urso (D-Port Washington)
{{DEFAULTSORT:D'Urso, Anthony
Living people
Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly
People from Long Island
21st-century American politicians
1939 births
Bronx Community College faculty
Italian emigrants to the United States
American politicians of Italian descent