Nicholas Scoppetta (November 6, 1932 – March 24, 2016) was the 31st
New York City Fire Commissioner. He was appointed to that position by Mayor
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...
on January 1, 2002 and was succeeded by
Salvatore Cassano on January 1, 2010. He had previously served as the Commissioner of the city's
Administration for Children's Services.
Overview
As Fire Commissioner, Scoppetta headed a department with an annual budget of more than $1 billion and with more than 16,000 fire, emergency medical service, and civilian members. His extensive experience in government and management spanned more than four decades. The
Fire Department of New York
The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fi ...
encompasses fire services and emergency medical services.
Scoppetta was also
Commissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...
of the Administration for Children's Services, where he served from 1996 through 2001. His six-year tenure was three times the average tenure of Child Welfare Administrators in New York City. During his tenure, ACS engaged in a comprehensive reform of the city's
child welfare
Child protection (also called child welfare) is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, abandonment, and neglect. It involves identifying signs of potential harm. This includes responding to allegations or suspicions ...
system which won praise from national child welfare experts and the media. In addition, Scoppetta was a
Deputy Mayor
The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor and assistant mayor) is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many local governments.
Duties and functions
Many elected deputy mayors are members of the loca ...
and Commissioner of Investigation for the City of New York, an Associate Counsel to the
Knapp Commission, an Assistant
United States Attorney
United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...
for the
Southern District of New York
The Southern District of New York is a federal judicial district that encompasses the counties of New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, and Sullivan.
Federal offices or agencies operating in the distri ...
, an Assistant
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 ...
for
New York County
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the smallest county by area in the U.S. state of New York. Located almost entire ...
, and a Deputy Independent Counsel in the investigation and prosecution of a former Special Assistant to the
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
.
After a two-year battle with cancer, Scoppetta died on March 24, 2016, at a hospice of
Bellevue Hospital
Bellevue Hospital (officially NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and formerly known as Bellevue Hospital Center) is a hospital in New York City and the oldest public hospital in the United States. One of the largest hospitals in the United States ...
next door to the N.Y.C. Nicholas Scoppetta Children's Center, named in his honor in 2013.
Childhood and education
Scoppetta was born on the
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...
of
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
,
in 1932. He was the youngest son of Italian immigrants, who struggled to get by during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
.
By the time he was four years old, his parents turned him and his two older brothers, Tony and Vincent, over to the city's care, initially in a shelter on 104th Street. At first, the three boys were separated, he said, but they were reunited a year or so later by a chance encounter at the dentist's office, where his brother Tony recognized him. Together, he and his brothers ended up in a group home in
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 ...
called ''Woodycrest'', now an
AIDS
The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
hospice. They stayed until he was 12 and they were reunited with their parents.
Scoppetta attended public schools in Manhattan, including
Seward Park High School, from where he graduated in 1950.
After serving two years in the Army, he attended
Bradley University
Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,200 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in fiv ...
on the
G.I. Bill
The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I. (military), G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in ...
and graduated in 1958 with a degree in
Civil Engineering
Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...
. While at Bradley, he joined
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American social Fraternities and sororities, fraternities. The fraternity has 244 active undergraduate chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has ...
fraternity.
In 1959 he was awarded a New York State Regents
Scholarship
A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...
and attended
Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a Private university, 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 adjunct faculty.
...
at night while working in the criminal courts during the day assisting in the investigation and prosecution of cases in which children had been abused or neglected. He graduated from law school in 1962.
Career in federal and city government
Shortly after he was
admitted to the bar
An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in New York City in 1962, he was appointed an Assistant District Attorney in
New York County
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the smallest county by area in the U.S. state of New York. Located almost entire ...
by District Attorney
Frank Hogan. He served as an Assistant District Attorney in the
Manhattan D.A.'s Office until 1969, when he became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
In 1971, he served as Associate Counsel to the Knapp Commission, which investigated corruption in the New York City Police Department.
In 1972, he served for a brief time as Deputy Independent Counsel in the investigation and prosecution of a former Special Assistant to President
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
.
On December 1, 1972, Scoppetta was appointed Commissioner of Investigation for the City of New York by Mayor
John Lindsay
John Vliet Lindsay (; November 24, 1921 – December 19, 2000) was an American politician and lawyer. During his political career, Lindsay was a U.S. congressman, the mayor of New York City, and a candidate for U.S. president. He was also a regu ...
, and was re-appointed to that position by Mayor
Abraham Beame in 1974.
On August 1, 1974, Scoppetta was accused by
New York City Comptroller
The Office of Comptroller of New York City, a position established in 1801, is the chief financial officer and chief auditor of the city agencies and their performance and spending. The comptroller also reviews all city contracts, handles the s ...
Harrison J. Goldin of "instructing" a civil servant in the Comptroller's office to make entries in the Comptroller's books that were not there when his auditors looked at them. Scoppetta denounced the accusation as "outrageous", and a subsequent investigation by New York State
Special Prosecutor Maurice H. Nadjari cleared Scoppetta of any wrongdoing.
On December 6, 1976, Beame named Scoppetta to the newly created post of
Deputy Mayor
The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor and assistant mayor) is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many local governments.
Duties and functions
Many elected deputy mayors are members of the loca ...
for Criminal Justice while still remaining in his post as Commissioner of Investigation. He held both positions until he was replaced by incoming Mayor
Ed 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 ...
on January 5, 1978.
Private practice
After leaving public service in 1978, Scoppetta joined the faculty of
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 ...
where he was a Professor of Law and Director of the Institute of Judicial Administration.
In 1979, New York Governor
Hugh Carey
Hugh Leo Carey (April 11, 1919 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and attorney of the Democratic Party who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1961 to 1974 and as the 51st governor of New York from 1975 to 1982.
Early ...
appointed Scoppetta to a post on the
Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor.
In 1980, Scoppetta and Eric A. Seiff, a long-time friend from his days at the Manhattan D.A.'s Office, founded the law firm of Scoppetta & Seiff (now known as Seiff Kretz & Abercrombie), where he engaged in the private practice of law until his full-time return to public service in 1996 as the first Commissioner of the New York City Administration for Children's Services.
From February 1995 to January 1996, he was Chairman of the five-member Commission to Combat Police Corruption, which was created by Mayor
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and Disbarment, disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney ...
to monitor the
New York City Police Department
The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...
's anti-corruption efforts.
Return to city government
On January 11, 1996, Giuliani announced the creation of the Administration for Children's Services and appointed Scoppetta the agency's first commissioner. ACS was the city's first independent agency devoted entirely to services for children, with a commissioner reporting directly to the mayor.
Not-for-profit/non-profit advisory work
Scoppetta was a President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the
Children's Aid Society
Children's Aid, formerly the Children's Aid Society, is a private child welfare nonprofit in New York City founded in 1853 by Charles Loring Brace. With an annual budget of over $100 million, 45 citywide sites, and over 1,200 full-time employees ...
, a not-for-profit social service agency which annually serves nearly 50,000 needy children and their families in New York City. He was a member of that Board for sixteen years.
He served on numerous boards of other not-for-profit institutions and was a member of the Executive Committee of the
Association of the Bar of the City of New York. Among the nonprofits he worked closely with was the
New York Blood Center, where he served as a board member from 2006 to 2015.
He was also president of
New Yorkers For Children, and organization which he founded in 1996 as the non-profit partner to the Administration for Children's Services.
Awards and professional recognition
On January 14, 1997, Scoppetta was awarded the Hogan-Morgenthau Award of the Hogan-Morgenthau Associates, an organization of past and present assistant district attorneys on the staffs of the Manhattan District Attorneys
Frank Hogan and
Robert M. Morgenthau.
Family life
Scoppetta lived his entire life in Manhattan with his wife Susan, a psychotherapist; they had two children.
References
U.S. Investigator Will Replace Ruskin, Who Is Quitting December 1; A U.S. Investigator Is Selected to Take Ruskin's Place ''The New York Times'', November 9, 1972
''The New York Times'', August 2, 1974
*
ttps://www.nytimes.com/1974/08/06/archives/goldin-stands-by-charge-on-scoppetta-goldin-stads-by-charge-on.html Goldin Stands By Charge on Scoppetta; 'Reappearing' Securities 'Curious Coincidence' ''The New York Times'', August 6, 1974
Goldin Questioned 5 Hours by Nadjari; Scoppetta Says Discrepancy Is Solved ''The New York Times'', August 10, 1974
''The New York Times'', August 15, 1974
*
ttps://www.nytimes.com/1976/12/07/archives/scoppetta-appointed-deputy-mayor-for-criminal-justice.html Scoppetta Appointed Deputy Mayor for Criminal Justice', ''The New York Times'', December 7, 1976Koch Names Vera Institute Head As Deputy to Succeed Scoppetta ''The New York Times'', January 6, 1978
''The New York Times'', April 3, 1979
''The New York Times'', March 1, 1995
* [https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10D10FD3B5D0C718DDDA80894DE494D81&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fS%2fScoppetta%2c%20Nicholas Giuliani is Forming a New City Agency on Child Welfare], ''The New York Times'', January 12, 1996
Man in the News: Nicholas Scoppetta; Advocate With a Heart ''The New York Times'', January 12, 1996
''The New York Times'', January 14, 1997
*
ttps://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB081FF83C540C728FDDAB0994D9404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fS%2fScoppetta%2c%20Nicholas Bloomberg Chooses Head Of Fire Dept. ''The New York Times'', article: December 31, 2001
External links
Fire Department of the City of New York websiteNew York City Administration for Children's Services websiteThe Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor websiteChildren's Aid Society websiteNew Yorkers For Children websiteThe Association of the Bar of the City of New York websiteSeiff Kretz & Abercrombie websiteScoppetta Kelley & Lee websiteBradley University Website* Th
Nicholas Scoppetta Papersat th
New-York Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scoppetta, Nicholas
1932 births
2016 deaths
Commissioners of the New York City Fire Department
People from the Lower East Side
United States Army soldiers
American prosecutors
Brooklyn Law School alumni
American people of Italian descent