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John J. Marchi

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John J. Marchi
Marchi circa 1970
Member of the New York State Senate
In office
January 1, 1957 – December 31, 2006
Preceded byEdward V. Curry
Succeeded byAndrew Lanza
Constituency19th district (1957–1965)
26th district (1966)
23rd district (1967–1972)
24th district (1973–2006)
Personal details
Born
Giovanni Marchi

(1921-05-20)May 20, 1921
Staten Island, New York, U.S.
DiedApril 25, 2009(2009-04-25) (aged 87)
Lucca, Italy
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Maria Luisa Davini
​
(m. 1948)​
Children2
Alma mater

John Joseph Marchi (born Giovanni Marchi; May 20, 1921 – April 25, 2009) was an American politician, attorney and jurist. A member of the Republican Party from Staten Island, New York, he was a member of the New York State Senate from 1957 to 2006, making him the longest-serving state legislator in New York history.[1] He was the Republican nominee for Mayor of New York City in 1969 and 1973.

Personal life

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Giovanni Marchi was born in 1921, to parents who had immigrated from Lucca, Tuscany, Italy.[1] He attended parochial schools on Staten Island before graduating with honors from Manhattan College in 1942. In 1948, he married Maria Luisa Davini, an Italian immigrant also from Lucca; they had two daughters.[1] Marchi earned a J.D. from St. John's University School of Law in 1950 and a J.S.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1953. In World War II, he served with the Coast Guard on antisubmarine duty in the Atlantic and with the Navy in the Okinawa campaign in the Pacific. Marchi also served as a Commander in the Active Reserve after the war, retiring from the service in 1982.[2]

Health and death

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On October 19, 2006, Marchi passed out and fell from his chair at the annual Alfred E. Smith Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria.[3]

Marchi died from pneumonia on April 25, 2009, while vacationing in Lucca with his wife and other family members.[1]

Professional life

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Marchi was first elected on November 6, 1956, after having served as a Senate aide. He was a member of the New York State Senate from 1957 to 2006, sitting in the 171st, 172nd, 173rd, 174th, 175th, 176th, 177th, 178th, 179th, 180th, 181st, 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th, 189th, 190th, 191st, 192nd, 193rd, 194th, 195th and 196th New York State Legislatures.

Marchi was active in conservative issues, particularly of a fiscal nature, during his long Senate tenure. Marchi wrote the state laws to help New York City recover from its fiscal crisis and near bankruptcy in the 1970s.[2]

Marchi ran twice for Mayor of New York City. He won a surprise upset over Mayor John V. Lindsay in the 1969 Republican primary. He ran in the general election against Lindsay, who was still the Liberal Party nominee, and Democratic Comptroller Mario Procaccino. Marchi and Procaccino lost to Lindsay.

Marchi was the Republican nominee again in 1973, but he lost to Comptroller Abraham D. Beame, the Democrat that Lindsay had defeated in 1965, while he came in ahead of Mario Biaggi and Albert H. Blumenthal.[4] Previously, he ran unsuccessfully as the Republican nominee for Borough President of Staten Island in 1961.

Marchi worked to improve public education in the 1980s and was appointed as Chairman of the Temporary State Commission on New York City School Governance in 1989. This commission conducted a two-year study on the control and governance in New York City schools and provided recommendations to the New York State Legislature on improving administration and public participation in the school system. Senator Marchi also provided assistance to the College of Staten Island so that the school could obtain the land of the former Willowbrook State School for a campus.[2]

Marchi was a longtime advocate for the secession of Staten Island from New York City. He wrote a law which backed a secession referendum in 1993. While the referendum passed, the legislature has not allowed Staten Island to become its own city. As a part of his Staten Island secession work, Marchi drafted a model charter for a new City of Staten Island. Marchi also drafted the law to close the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island.[2]

Marchi was the only Republican member of the State Senate who opposed the death penalty.[2][5]

Marchi was a member of the executive committee and the Board of Governors of the Council of State Governments. He was appointed by U.S. President Richard M. Nixon to the National Advisory Committee on Drug Abuse Prevention.

Senate leadership positions

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  • Chairman of the Joint Liquor Laws Committee
  • Chairman of the Senate Commerce and Navigation Committee
  • Chairman of the Joint New York City Docks Committee
  • Chairman of the Joint Alcoholic Beverage Control Law Committee
  • Chairman of the Senate Constitutional Affairs Subcommittee
  • Chairman of the Senate City of New York Committee
  • Chairman of the Joint Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee
  • Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee
  • Chairman of the Senate Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee
  • Vice President Pro Tempore of the Senate
  • Chairman of the Temporary State Commission on New York City School Governance
  • Chairman of the New York State Charter Commission for Staten Island
  • Chairman of the Staten Island Charter Commission
  • Deputy Majority Leader for Intergovernmental Relations
  • Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee
  • Assistant Majority Whip
  • Assistant Majority Leader for Conference Operations
  • Chairman of the Senate Task Force on World Trade Center Recovery

Legacy

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The Staten Island Ferry boat Sen. John J. Marchi, which shuttles passengers from the ferry terminal at the southern tip of Manhattan to the Staten Island ferry terminal in St. George.

A new Staten Island Ferry boat was named in Marchi's honor in 2006.[6]

John Marchi Hall was named in his honor on campus of the College of Staten Island in 2006. The building is located in the "north" side of campus; building 2N.[7]

A collection of Marchi's legislative and personal files are available at the College of Staten Island Archives and Special Collections.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d McFadden, Robert D. (April 26, 2009). "John J. Marchi, Who Fought for Staten Island in Senate, Dies at 87". The New York Times. Retrieved April 27, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Senator John J. Marchi Papers, held by the College of Staten Island Archives and Special Collections
  3. ^ "State Senator Recovering After Collapsing During Al Smith Dinner". NY1 News. October 20, 2006. Archived from the original on March 13, 2007.
  4. ^ "New York City Mayoral Election 1973". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  5. ^ Hicks, Jonathan P. (December 8, 1999). "A Footnote Who Endured To Be a Fixture; Rival to Lindsay in '69 Is Set For 24th Senate Campaign". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "NYC DOT - Staten Island Ferry Facts". www.nyc.gov. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  7. ^ "Docuements re: dedication of John Marchi Hall at CSI, 2006, 2006 | College of Staten Island ArchivesSpace". archivesspace.library.csi.cuny.edu. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
[edit]
New York State Senate
Preceded by Member of the New York State Senate
from the 19th district
1957–1965 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the New York State Senate
from the 26th district
1966 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the New York State Senate
from the 23rd district
1967–1972 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the New York State Senate
from the 24th district
1973–2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chairman of the New York State Senate Finance Committee
1973–1988 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for
Borough President of Staten Island
1961 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Republican nominee for
Mayor of New York City
1969, 1973 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Conservative Party nominee for
Mayor of New York City
1969 		Succeeded by
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