G. Oliver Koppell

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G. Oliver Koppell (born 1940) is a member of the New York City Council from District 11 in the Borough of The Bronx, covering the neighborhoods of Riverdale, Norwood, and Bedford Park. He was elected to the Council in 2001, and recently defeated Ari Hoffnung by a 3 to 1 margin in 2005.

Prior to his term in the City Council, he had been a member of the New York State Assembly in from 1970 to 1994. While in the Assembly, he served as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and passed the New York bottle bill. In 1994 he was elected by the New York State Legislature to fill the remaining year of the unexpired term of the New York State Attorney General, succeeding Robert Abrams, who resigned. As attorney general, he successfully brought a lawsuit to allow drivers under the age of 25 to obtain rental cars in the State of New York.

He sought a full four year term as attorney general in the 1994 election, but lost to Judge Karen Burstein in the Democratic Primary. He finished second, ahead of Brooklyn District Attorney Charles "Joe" Hynes and prosecutor Eliot Spitzer. In 1998, he again sought the Democratic nomination for state attorney general. He finished third in the primary, behind Spitzer, who won, and State Sen. Catherine Abate. Koppell finished ahead of Charles Davis, a former staffer for former Gov. Mario Cuomo.

He is married to Lorraine Coyle Koppell, who narrowly lost a race for the New York State Senate in 2000 to Guy Velella.

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Preceded by
Robert Abrams
New York State Attorney General
1994 – 1995
Succeeded by
Dennis Vacco