Serphin R. Maltese (born December 7, 1932) is an American attorney and retired politician from the state of New York. A onetime chairman of the Conservative Party of New York, Maltese served as a state senator from district 15 from 1989 through 2008.

Early life

Maltese, an Italian-American, was born in the neighborhood of Corona in the borough of Queens. In 1951, he graduated from

Stuyvesant High School Stuyvesant High School ( ) is a co-ed, State school, public, college-preparatory, Specialized high schools in New York City, specialized high school in Manhattan, New York City. The school, commonly called "Stuy" ( ) by its students, faculty, a ...

. He received 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 ...

from

Manhattan College Manhattan University (previously Manhattan College) is a private, Catholic university in New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers (Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools) as an academy fo ...

in 1958 and an LL.B. and a J.D. from the

Fordham University School of Law Fordham University School of Law is the law school of Fordham University. The school is located in Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city. According to Fordham University School of Law's ABA- ...

. He is a

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

veteran.

Career

Maltese has served as a Queens Assistant District Attorney and Deputy Chief of the Queens Homicide Bureau. In 1984, Maltese ran for a seat in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from central

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 ...

. The seat was being vacated by

Geraldine Ferraro Geraldine Anne Ferraro (August 26, 1935 March 26, 2011) was an American politician, diplomat, and attorney. She served in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1985, and was the Democratic Party's nominee for vice presiden ...

, who was chosen to run for

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

on the Democratic ticket with

Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928April 19, 2021) was the 42nd vice president of the United States serving from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. He previously served as a U.S. senator from Minnesota from 1964 to 1976. ...

. Maltese was defeated by Democrat Thomas J. Manton. Maltese served as chairman of the Conservative Party of New York from 1986 to 1988. Maltese represented New York's 15th State Senate District, located in

, from 1989 to 2008. He was elected as a Conservative for his first two terms, at most times with endorsement by the Republican and

Right to Life The right to life is the belief that a human (or other animal) has the right to live and, in particular, should not be killed by another entity. The concept of a right to life arises in debates on issues including: capital punishment, with some ...

parties. He became a Republican in 1990, and continued to win re-election in a district that normally favored Democrats. In 2006, Maltese was nearly defeated, narrowly beating Democrat Albert Baldeo by 894 votes. In 2008, Maltese was soundly defeated by New York City Councilman Joseph Addabbo Jr. as the Democrats took control of the State Senate. During his Senate career, Maltese sponsored 239 bills that became law.

Community involvement

As of February 2019, Maltese served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Christ The King Regional High School, an independent Catholic high school in

Middle Village, Queens Middle Village is a neighborhood in the central section of the Borough (New York City), borough of Queens, New York City, bounded to the north by the Long Island Expressway, to the east by Woodhaven Boulevard, to the south by Cooper Avenue and t ...

Personal life

Maltese is married to portrait painter Constance Del Vecchio; they have two children and several grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maltese, Serphin R. 1932 births Living people American people of Italian descent United States Army personnel of the Korean War Conservative Party of New York State politicians Republican Party New York (state) state senators Politicians from Queens, New York Stuyvesant High School alumni Manhattan College alumni United States Army non-commissioned officers 21st-century members of the New York State Legislature 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature