John J. Bonacic (born June 14, 1942 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

) is a retired politician from New York. A Republican, Bonacic represented New York State Senate District 42 (which includes all or parts of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, Sullivan,

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

, and

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

Counties) from November 1998 to 2018. Prior to his Senate service, Bonacic served in the New York State Assembly.

Personal life and education

Bonacic's grandparents were immigrants from

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

.Dnevno.hr
Ratko Martinović: Loš PR u dijaspori - Koje su svjetski poznate osobe podrijetlom Hrvati, a da to niste ni znali, 28. listopada 2012. (Croatian) He received his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

from Iona College in 1964, majoring in

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

. He received his JD at

Fordham University School of Law Fordham University School of Law is the law school of Fordham University. The school is located in Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city. In 2013, 91% of the law school's first-time test t ...

in 1968.

Political career

On February 20, 1990, Bonacic was elected to the New York State Assembly, to fill the vacancy caused by the election of Mary M. McPhillips as Orange County Executive. Bonacic was re-elected four times and remained in the Assembly until 1998, sitting in the 188th,

189th 189th may refer to: *189th (Canadien-Français) Battalion, CEF, a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War *189th Airlift Squadron, a unit of the Idaho Air National Guard that flies the C-130 Hercules *189th Airlift Wing, ...

, 190th, 191st and 192nd New York State Legislatures. In November 1998, he was elected to the New York State Senate. Bonacic, a Republican, was the Chair of the Senate Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee. He sponsored a bill that would legalize online poker. He supported the opening of a casino in Sullivan County, New York. While Bonacic cast a procedural vote against a 2013 bill that would have expanded abortion rights, he expressed support for the Reproductive Health Act in 2016. At a January 25, 2016 gathering of abortion advocates in Albany, the Senator commented, "'Both my daughter and my bride of 50 years believe in pro-choice and we should never deprive women of access of health care that they choose and their medical providers say is best for them.'" In 2015, Bonacic introduced a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide. In 2011, Bonacic voted against allowing same-sex marriage in New York in a roll-call vote on the Marriage Equality Act, which passed in a close 33-29 vote. On May 6, 2018, Bonacic announced that he would not seek re-election in November 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonacic, John 1942 births Living people Fordham University School of Law alumni Iona College (New York) alumni Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Republican Party New York (state) state senators People from Mount Hope, New York County legislators in New York (state) American people of Croatian descent 21st-century American politicians

Personal life and education

Political career

See also

References