Mario Merola (February 1, 1922 – October 27, 1987) was a New York City Councilman from 1964 to 1971 and the

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

Bronx County The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County to its north; to its south and west, the New York City boro ...

, New York, from 1972 to 1987.

Early life

Merola was born on February 1, 1922, to Italian immigrants in the Woodlawn Heights neighborhood of

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. His father was a barber, while his mother was a garment industry worker. Merola went to public schools in the Bronx and graduated from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, where he played halfback on the college football team. He enlisted in the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

in 1941 and became a combat navigator, flying a total of 55 missions into territory under occupation by Nazis in Europe. He eventually returned to New York and obtained his law degree from the

New York University School of Law The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it was the first law school established in New York City and is the oldest survivin ...

in 1948.

Career

Merola's career in public service began in 1957, when he began working as an attorney for the

New York City Department of Investigation The New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) is a law enforcement agency of the government of New York City that serves as an independent and nonpartisan watchdog for New York City government. Established in 1873, it is one of the oldest l ...

. In May 1960, he was hired as an assistant district attorney for the

Bronx County District Attorney The Bronx County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for Bronx County, which is coterminous with the Borough of the Bronx, in New York City. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws. (Feder ...

's office, and prosecuted cases there until 1964.

New York City Council

He was elected as 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the

New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...

in November 1963, and was re-elected two times, representing the Bronx from January 1964 to December 1972.

Bronx County District Attorney

Merola was first elected Bronx County District Attorney in November 1972, and was re-elected three times, serving a total of 15 years until his death in October 1987. Merola had a reputation for political independence and outspokenness during his time as District Attorney. Merola was also able to attract bipartisan support during his election campaigns; he received the endorsement of both the Republican Party and the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

during his final campaign for re-election before he died. Merola prosecuted a number of high-profile cases, the most notable one being the "Son of Sam" case, where he successfully convicted

David Berkowitz David Richard Berkowitz (born Richard David Falco; June 1, 1953), also known as the Son of Sam and the .44 Caliber Killer, is an American serial killer and former U.S. Army soldier who committed a series of stabbings and shootings between 1 ...

for multiple homicides and got him a term of life in prison for his crimes. Another notable case during his tenure was the prosecution of former United States Secretary of Labor Raymond J. Donovan on charges that he stole $7.4 million from a subway construction project. Donovan, a Republican, was ultimately acquitted, and accused Merola of prosecuting him on political grounds. After the acquittal, Donovan famously asked, “Which office do I go to, to get my reputation back?” Merola's office was responsible for the prosecution of a white police officer after the shooting death of

Eleanor Bumpurs On October 29, 1984, Eleanor Bumpurs was shot and killed by the New York City Police Department (NYPD). The police were present to enforce a city-ordered eviction of Bumpurs, an elderly and disabled African American woman, from her New York Housi ...

, a 66-year-old black woman with a history of mental illness, which occurred in the decedent's apartment. The officer was later acquitted.

Personal life and death

Merola married Tulia Palermo in 1949, and they had three children together: Michael, Elizabeth and Marilou. On October 27, 1987, Merola had a massive stroke, and passed out on the dining-room floor of his Woodlawn Heights home. He was taken to Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center, where he died of a

cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its ventricles, or into both. An ICH is a type of bleeding within the skull and one kind of stro ...

, less than 12 hours after the stroke. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.

Legacy

At Merola's funeral, Mayor

Edward Koch Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989. Koch was a lifelong Democrat who ...

said that he intended to rename the

Bronx County Courthouse The Bronx County Courthouse, also known as the Mario Merola Building, is an historic courthouse building located in the Concourse and Melrose neighborhoods of the Bronx in New York City. It was designed in 1931 and built between 1931 and 1934. ...

as the Mario Merola Building, in his honor. It was done the following year, in February 1988.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merola, Mario 1922 births 1987 deaths American people of Italian descent New York (state) Democrats New York City Council members Bronx County district attorneys United States Army Air Forces soldiers 20th-century New York (state) politicians Politicians from the Bronx United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)