Kenneth P. LaValle (born May 22, 1939 in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

) is a former American politician. He represented

District 1 District 1 may refer to: * I District, Turku, in Finland * District 1, Düsseldorf, a district in Düsseldorf, Germany * Sector 1 (Bucharest), also known as District 1, in Bucharest, Romania * District I, Budapest in Budapest, Hungary * Distric ...

in the New York State Senate. The district comprises the five East End towns of Long Island, New York, as well as the central and eastern portions of the Town of

Brookhaven, New York The Town of Brookhaven is the most populous of the ten towns of Suffolk County, New York, United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is located approximately 50 miles from Manhattan. It is the largest of the state of New York' ...

. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, LaValle was first elected in 1976. He was the longest-serving member of the Senate and has served more terms in office than any other current state senator in the United States.

Early life, education, and family

Born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, LaValle graduated from Hempstead High School. He received a B.S degree from

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher ed ...

in 1961 and an M.S. in Education from the State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz) in 1964. He also received a Juris Doctor from the

Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, commonly known as Touro Law Center, is an ABA accredited law school. It is located on Long Island, New York, in the hamlet of Central Islip. The Law Center is part of Touro University, a private, ...

in 1987. LaValle is an attorney; he was admitted to the New York bar in 1993. LaValle is the father of two grown children. He resides in

Port Jefferson, New York Port Jefferson (informally known as "Port Jeff") is an incorporated village in the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. Officially known as the Incorporated Village of Port Jefferson, the population ...

, with his wife, Penny.

New York Senate

LaValle first ran for the

New York Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan compo ...

in 1976 to succeed retiring Senator Leon E. Giuffreda. He defeated Democratic nominee Barry McCoy, a physicist, winning 51% of the vote. Since then, he has faced very few serious challenges in his re-election campaigns. In 2007, Gov. Eliot Spitzer appointed LaValle to the New York State Commission on Higher Education, which was charged with identifying ways of improving the quality of higher education in the State. LaValle also served on the National Council of State Legislatures’ Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education. He played a key role in the development of the School Tax Relief (STAR) program. He also authored the 1993 Pine Barrens Preservation Act. In 2011, LaValle voted against allowing

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

in New York during roll-call for the Marriage Equality Act, which legalized same-sex marriage in the state. The

Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium The Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium is the main stadium for Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, Stony Brook, New York (state), New York, United States. Construction began in 2000 at a cost of approximately $22 million. With a capacity of 12 ...

at Stony Brook University bears his name. On January 10, 2020, LaValle announced that he would not seek re-election to the Senate in 2020. He was succeeded by

Anthony Palumbo Anthony Howard Palumbo (born September 14, 1970) is an American Republican Party politician who currently represents the 1st district of the New York State Senate. He previously served as a member of the New York State Assembly. Palumbo attend ...

, and his term ended on December 31, 2020.

References

External links

Twitter Page: Senator LaValle

Facebook page: Kenneth P. LaValle

YouTube Channel: Senator LaValle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lavalle, Kenneth Republican Party New York (state) state senators 1939 births Living people Touro Law Center alumni Adelphi University alumni State University of New York at New Paltz alumni People from Port Jefferson, New York 21st-century American politicians