John Zaccaro

John Anthony Zaccaro (born April 5, 1933)[1] is a real estate developer and owner of P. Zaccaro & Company, which was founded by his father Philip Zaccaro in 1935.[2][3] The company acts as a landlord for properties in the Little Italy, Chinatown, and East Side areas of Manhattan and in Queens.[1] He is the widower of the late Geraldine Ferraro, former U.S. House of Representatives member from New York and the 1984 Democratic Party Vice Presidential nominee.

Biography

Zaccaro was born in the Bay Ridge, Brooklyn neighborhood, to Italian American parents born in the U.S.[1] When an infant the family moved, and he grew up in Forest Hills, Queens.[1] He attended Loyola School and Rhodes Preparatory School, both in Manhattan.[1] A severe football injury left him unavailable for the draft, but he nonetheless joined the United States Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class, becoming a second lieutenant.[1] At the same time he attended Iona College from 1951 to 1955 and graduated with a degree in business administration.[1]

Zaccaro and Ferraro met in 1954, when she was a sophomore at Marymount Manhattan College.[1] They became engaged in August 1959,[4] and married on July 16, 1960.[1] They have three children, Donna (born 1962), John Jr. (born 1964), and Laura (born 1966).[1]

By 1984, Zaccaro company owned or managed over 20 residential and commercial properties in Manhattan.[3] His buildings had accumulated over 100 mostly minor code violations, although in some tenants complained of poor living conditions in apartments.[3]

During his wife's campaign for vice president, he became the center of controversy due to their finances and his refusal to release his separately-filed tax returns.[2][5] Ultimately they were submitted.[6]

In January 1985, Zaccaro pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining bank financing in a real estate transaction and was sentenced to 150 hours of community service.[7] Then in October 1986, he was indicted on unrelated felony charges regarding an alleged 1981 bribery of Queens Borough President Donald Manes concerning a cable television contract.[8] A full year later, he was acquitted at trial.[9]

Zaccaro's business associations have also created controversy,[10] and they and the couple's finances again became a damaging issue during her 1992 Senate Democratic primary campaign[11] (which she entered as the front-runner, and lost by a close margin).[12] Zaccaro was not an issue in her 1998 Senate Democratic primary campaign, which she also lost.[13]

See also

Biography portal
United States Marine Corps portal

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Blumenthal, Ralph (1984-08-18). "Ferraro's Husband: Competitive, Private Man". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=FB0910FC395C0C7B8DDDA10894DC484D81. 
  2. ^ a b Gerth, Jeff and Blumenthal, Ralph (1984-07-26). "Rep. Ferraro's Transactions Detailed in Public Records". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F40E14FE345D0C758EDDAE0894DC484D81. 
  3. ^ a b c Blumenthal, Ralph (2008-09-04). "When the Press Vetted Geraldine Ferraro". The New York Times. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/when-the-press-vetted-geraldine-ferraro/. Retrieved 2009-06-25. 
  4. ^ "John Zaccaro Fiance Of Geraldine Ferraro". The New York Times. 1959-08-09. http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F30A15F73F5F1A7B93CBA91783D85F4D8585F9. 
  5. ^ Raines, Howell (1984-08-14). "G.O.P. Seizes 'Genderless Issue' of Tax Returns to Attack Ferraro". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F70610FC3E5C0C778DDDA10894DC484D81. 
  6. ^ Roberts, Sam (1984-08-22). "Ferraro Denies Any Wrongdoing; 2d Loan By Zaccaro From Estate". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06EFDF1338F931A1575BC0A962948260. 
  7. ^ Blumenthal, Ralph (1985-02-21). "Judge Sentences Zaccaro to Work in Public Service". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E03EFDD1239F932A15751C0A963948260. 
  8. ^ Lamar Jr., Jacob V. (1986-10-13). "The Family Ties That Bind". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,962540,00.html. 
  9. ^ James, George (1987-10-15). "Jury Acquits Zaccaro of Seeking To Extort Cable Television Bribe". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEEDC133DF936A25753C1A961948260. 
  10. ^ "Hiding Her Cards", Wayne Barrett, Village Voice, September 1, 1998.
  11. ^ Mitchell, Alison (1992-09-01). "For Ferraro, Cheers of '84 Are Still Resonating". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE6DD1239F932A3575AC0A964958260. 
  12. ^ Purdum, Todd S. (1992-09-16). "Abrams, In Tight Senate Vote, Appears to Edge Out Ferraro". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE6DC1E31F935A2575AC0A964958260. 
  13. ^ Waldman, Amy (1998-09-17). "The Farewell: For Ferraro, Early Promise, Lopsided Loss". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E00E1DA1F31F934A2575AC0A96E958260. 
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Joan Mondale		 Spouse of the Democratic Vice-Presidential Nominee
1984		 Succeeded by
Beryl Ann Bentsen