Bruce Faulkner Caputo

Bruce F. Caputo (born August 7, 1943) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.

Born in New York City, he graduated from Deerfield Academy in 1961, Harvard University in 1965, and Georgetown Law School in 1971. He was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1972, representing a district in lower Westchester County. He was re-elected in 1974, a tough year for Republicans in New York State and around the county. In 1976, liberal Republican Congressman Peter A. Peyser gave up his seat to challenge conservative U.S. Senator James L. Buckley for the Republican nomination. Caputo ran for the congressional seat and won, narrowly defeating Democratic Assemblyman J. Edward Meyer, a former Republican who became a Democrat in 1973.^[1] Caputo's district included lower Westchester and a tiny portion of the Bronx. Caputo served only one term in Congress. In 1978, Perry Duryea, the Republican nominee for governor, picked Caputo, as his running mate for lieutenant governor. Governor Hugh L. Carey, a Democrat who was elected in 1974, narrowly won re-election. Peyser, who became a Democrat, won his old seat back the same year.

In 1980, Caputo attempted to run against liberal Republican U.S. Senator Jacob Javits, but withdrew from the Republican primary after his main rival on the right, Alfonse D'Amato, secured the crucial nominations of the Conservative and Right to Life parties.^[2] D'Amato defeated Javits in the Republican primary and won the general election in the fall. In his autobiography, "Power, Politics, and Pasta: The World According to Senator Al D'Amato" (1995), D'Amato bitterly criticized Caputo.

In 1981, Caputo announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who was seeking his second term in the 1982 mid-term election. Considered a young rising star in the Republican Party and in the conservative movement, Caputo raised money for his race around the country. Caputo withdrew from the race in March 1982.^[3] That year, Assemblywoman Florence M. Sullivan of Brooklyn won the Republican primary to win the nomination, but she was defeated in a landslide by Moynihan.

Since leaving politics, Caputo has worked as a lawyer. Caputo received attention in June 2008 after the death of NBC News Washington bureau chief (and Meet the Press moderator) Tim Russert. A number of articles noted Russert's role in exposing Caputo in the 1982 Senate race. In May 2010, Caputo was compared to Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal who falsely claimed to have served in Vietnam.^[4]

Personal life

Caputo is married to Bonnie Caputo, the first woman pilot for a major airline. They have two children. He is currently a resident of Bronxville, New York.

External links

• Bruce Faulkner Caputo at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

References