Koch, Edward Irving

A three-term mayor and a consistently popular political figure, Edward Koch (1924-) took New York City out of the fiscal crises of the 1970s and into the economically expanding but socially contentious 1980s.

Growing up in the Bronx (where he was born in 1924) and in Newark, New Jersey, Koch attended the City College of New York before the World War II draft interrupted his studies. Following his discharge, he entered New York University's School of Law, and after graduation he became a practicing attorney. By the late 1950s he was well regarded among reformers [Page 417]in the Democratic Party, and in 1963 he defeated former Tammany boss Carmine DeSapio for district leadership in Greenwich Village. In 1968, following a city council stint, he was elected to the U.S. Congress, where he represented the 17th and 18th districts, respectively, until the mayoral contest of 1977.

Running on a platform of fiscal conservatism and social liberalism, he defeated incumbent mayor Abe Beame in the Democratic Primary of 1977 and went on to defeat Mario Cuomo in bitterly contested runoff and general elections. He began his term by building the broad, and often disparate, coalitions that became a staple of his administration, with business leaders, government reformers, Jews, working-class Catholics, and a small number of influential members of the Latino/a and African American communities all forming his base. He imposed fiscal discipline on New York City by adopting the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in order to balance the budget and rooted out inefficiency in city agencies by threatening to embarrass publicly the leaders of the slowest performing outfits. He earned the enmity of unions by frequently battling the United Federation of Teachers over education reform and, most notably, by invoking New York State's Taylor Law in 1980 to end a strike by the city's transport workers.

The following year he won reelection in a landslide, running as the candidate of both the Democratic and Republican parties, although a subsequent gubernatorial run early in his second term ended with a primary loss to Mario Cuomo. In an effort to root out political patronage in the Criminal and Family Courts, he established the practice of having potential justices screened by an independent commission. Although he was a longtime supporter of the gay community, issuing orders prohibiting discrimination in the city based on sexual orientation and signing a gay rights bill in 1986, he also rankled this constituency by closing gay bathhouses. His third term in office was marred by a series of problems ranging from a citywide economic downturn and racial strife in the neighborhoods of Howard Beach and Bensonhurst to the corruption scandal and suicide of political supporter Donald Manes. His attempted election to a fourth term ended with a 1989 primary loss to David N. Dinkins, who went on to defeat Rudolph W. Giuliani in the general election.

Despite building a fairly conservative base in a liberal city, Koch has enjoyed popularity among many New Yorkers. Supporters in the public and among newspaper and magazine editorial boards have enjoyed his distinctive personality, which was highlighted by his campaign catchphrase, “How'm I doing?” Critics, however, have found his candor to border on the excessive and have charged him with overlooking the concerns of racial and ethnic minorities. Since leaving office he has authored autobiographical and children's books and frequently appeared as a television commentator.

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