Alfred A. Lama (1899 – January 3, 1984) was an Italian-born American architect and politician. He served as a Democratic member 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 Ass ...

from 1942 to 1972, representing portions of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

Early life

Lama was born in 1899 in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. He emigrated to the United States with his family in 1904, settling in

, New York City. Lama graduated from

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly known as Cooper Union, is a private college on Cooper Square in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-s ...

with a bachelor's degree in architecture.

Career

Lama was an architect. He was the co-founder of Lama & Vassalotti, an architectural firm based in Brooklyn and

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. In 1932, he was elected as vice president of the Architects Club of Brooklyn. He was elected as the president of the Brooklyn Society of Architects in 1941. Lama served as a Democratic member of the

from 1943 to 1972, representing

. He was the co-founder of the

Mitchell–Lama Housing Program The Mitchell–Lama Housing Program is a non-subsidy governmental housing guarantee in the state of New York. It was sponsored by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell and Assemblyman Alfred A. Lama and signed into law in 1955. The progr ...

Personal life, death and legacy

With his wife Marie, he had a son, Alfred M. Lama. They resided in

Oakdale, New York Oakdale is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet (and census-designated place) in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States, situated on the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island. The hamlet's popula ...

. Lama died on January 3, 1984, at St. Francis Hospital in

Flower Hill, New York Flower Hill is a village in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The eastern half is considered part of the Greater Roslyn area, which is anchored by the Incorporated Village of Roslyn. Western and north ...

. His funeral was held at the St. John Nepomucene Roman Catholic Church in

Bohemia, New York Bohemia is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 9,852 at the 2020 census. It is situated along the South Shore of Long Island in the Town of Islip, approximately 50 miles from N ...

. Lama Court, a small lane in Brooklyn, was named in his honor when he was an architect before he ran for office.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lama, Alfred A. 1899 births 1984 deaths Italian emigrants to the United States People from Brooklyn People from Suffolk County, New York Cooper Union alumni Architects from New York City Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature