Donald Marc Halperin (July 25, 1945 – June 26, 2006) was an American lawyer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Early life

He was born on July 25, 1945, the son of Charles Halperin and Gladys Halperin. He attended Abraham Lincoln High School. He graduated from

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and wa ...

in 1967, and from

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and a number of adjunct faculty. Brookly ...

in 1970. He married Brenda, and they had two children. While still in law school, he entered politics as a Democrat.

Career

Halperin was a member of the

New York State 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 com ...

from 1971 to 1993, sitting in the 179th, 180th, 181st, 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th, 189th and

190th New York State Legislature The 190th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6, 1993, to December 31, 1994, during the eleventh and twelfth years of Mario Cuomo's governorship, in Albany. Ba ...

s. In September 1993, he ran in the Democratic primary for

New York City Public Advocate The office of New York City Public Advocate (President of the City Council) is a citywide elected position in New York City, which is first in line to succeed the mayor. The office serves as a direct link between the electorate and city governmen ...

, but came in fifth among six candidates. On October 4, 1993, Halperin was appointed as New York State Commissioner of the Division of Housing and Community Renewal. He remained in office until the end of 1994. Afterwards Halperin practiced law in New York City. He was among those who, outnumbered 35 Republicans to 26 Democrat state senators, used a 23 day slowdown until concessions were made by the majority. This was not the only time Halperin was involved in influencing outcomes. In 1971 the

New York Civil Liberties Union The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) is a civil rights organization in the United States. Founded in November 1951 as the New York affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, it is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization with nea ...

ranked him the third most liberal member of the legislature's upper house.

Death

He died on June 26, 2006, in the Menorah Nursing Home in

Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn Manhattan Beach is a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the south and east, by Sheepshead Bay on the north, and Brighton Beach to the west. Traditionally known as an Italian ...

, of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

, and was buried at the Mount Lebanon Cemetery in

Glendale, Queens Glendale is a neighborhood in the west-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Forest Hills to the east, Ridgewood to the west, Woodhaven to the south, and Middle Village to the north. Glendale was built on a s ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Halperin, Donald 1945 births 2006 deaths Politicians from Brooklyn Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Rutgers University alumni Brooklyn Law School alumni Deaths from cancer in New York (state) 20th-century American politicians Abraham Lincoln High School (Brooklyn) alumni