New York at Mid-Century: The Impellitteri Years

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

"New York at Mid-Century" traces the rise of the city's Italian Americans from turn-of-the-century peripheral positions to centre stage in politics by 1950, when the electorate was called upon to choose among three Italian-born mayoral candidates - Vincent Impellitteri, Ferdinand Pecora, and Edward Corsi. Their decision to run for mayor reflected a clear ethnic calculation in the Americans of Italian descent, who had emerged as the city's largest nationality group. Impellitteri's victory as the first independent to become the mayor of New York City without the support of a major party, was a historic political development. His stewardship over the nation's most important city occurred at a time when New York wrestled with issues of international import and as it became the headquarters of the United Nations. It was a time of mounting pressure on municipal governments struggling to meet demands for increased services with limited financial resources. It was a time also of searing city-based scandals. This volume recounts how an immigrant, a shoemaker's son, dealt with these myriad problems and helped transform New York during a critical historical period.

Author Bio

SALVATORE J. LAGUMINA is a Professor of History and Political Science at Nassau Community College and the author of several books, including From Steerage to Suburb: Long Island Italians (1988) and Ethnicity in Suburbia: The Long Island Experience (1980).