Paul Angelo Vallone (June 2, 1967 – January 28, 2024) was an American politician and attorney from the state of New York. A Democrat, Vallone represented the 19th district on 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 ...

from 2014 to 2021; the district was located in northeast

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 ...

. He later served as the Deputy Commissioner of External Affairs for the New York City Department of Veterans' Services.

Early life and career

Paul Vallone was the son of New York City Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr.; the grandson of Judge Charles J. Vallone; and the brother of Peter Vallone Jr., a politician and judge. Paul Vallone attended high school at St. John's Preparatory School. He then graduated from

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

and from St. John's University with a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

. Prior to entering politics, Vallone served as the managing partner for the law firm of Vallone & Vallone, LLP. The firm was founded by his grandfather, Charles J. Vallone, in 1932. Both Vallone's father and his brother served on the New York City Council before he did.

Political career

Vallone first ran for the

in 2009, but came in third in the Democratic primary for the 19th district. In the 2013 Democratic primary election for the same seat, Vallone defeated Austin Shafran. He defeated Republican Party nominee Dennis Saffran in the general election. Vallone was re-elected in 2017. In 2021, Vallone ran for a municipal judgeship, but was defeated by Republican Joseph Kasper. After his City Council tenure ended due to term limits, Vallone served as the Deputy Commissioner of External Affairs for the New York City Department of Veterans' Services.

Electoral results

Personal life and death

Vallone and his wife, Anna-Marie, had three children. He had long-term

sarcoidosis Sarcoidosis (; also known as Besnier–Boeck–Schaumann disease) is a disease involving abnormal collections of White blood cell, inflammatory cells that form lumps known as granulomata. The disease usually begins in the lungs, skin, or lymph n ...

of the lungs, and tested positive for COVID-19 in April 2020 during New York's first wave of the pandemic. Vallone died of a heart attack on January 28, 2024, at the age of 56.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vallone, Paul 1967 births 2024 deaths New York (state) Democrats Vallone family New York City Council members Place of birth missing New York (state) lawyers Fordham University alumni St. John's University School of Law alumni 21st-century New York (state) politicians People from Flushing, Queens Politicians from Queens, New York