Former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, who served three terms in office between 1983 and 1994, died at the age of 92. Cuomo’s son, Andrew, currently holds the office.
Cuomo died of heart failure on Thursday, hours after his son, Governor Andrew Cuomo, delivered a speech as he began his second term in office. The governor said his father was unable to attend the ceremony due to his poor health, according to NBC News.
Cuomo easily won his second and third terms by emphasizing lower taxes, public education, affirmative action and balanced budgets. In 1993, he passed up the chance to be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court to run for a fourth term as governor, which he lost.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– Chris Christie” author_title=”New Jersey Governor”]
Our country and our region lost a giant today with the passing of Governor Mario Cuomo. He was a strong, eloquent leader who loved New York and its people. As an Italian-American, he was also a role model for future generations that anything was possible through hard work and education.
[/quote]
Mario Cuomo, a Democrat, was known for being a brilliant orator. One of his most well-known speeches was delivered at the Democratic National Convention in 1984 when he highlighted inequality and poverty to attack President Reagan’s declaration that the country was “a shining city on a hill,” saying the nation “is more a tale of two cities.”
Andrew Cuomo, speaking from the new One World Trade Center, used his inauguration speech to urge New Yorkers to lead the nation by example, touching on issues such as income inequality and recent protests against police, according to ABC News.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered flags in the city to be lowered to half staff in honor of the slain NYPD officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, which will now remain lowered for 30 days to honor Cuomo, according to CNN.
