Thomas Von Essen
Thomas Von Essen (born 1945 in Brooklyn, New York) was appointed the 30th FDNY Commissioner of the City of New York by Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani on April 15, 1996 and served in that position until the end of the Giuliani Administration on December 31, 2001, nearly four months after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Von Essen is also a graduate of St. Francis College, class of '72.
In 2002 he was made an Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.[1]
In 1993 Von Essen was elected as President of the Uniformed Firefighters Association representing the department's firefighters. Von Essen was bribed by then mayor Rudolph Giuliani to convince the members he represented to accept a contract that required the members of the FDNY to become certified first responders all while receiving no raise. Giuliani rewarded Von Essen's treachery by appointing him as the department's 30th Fire Commissioner. He was formerly a Senior Vice-President at Giuliani Partners and Chief Executive Officer of Giuliani-Von Essen LLC.
Family
He and his wife, Rita, have four children; the youngest is actor and singer, and Tony nominee Max von Essen (né Thomas von Essen, II).
References
External links
| Fire appointments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Howard Safir |
FDNY Commissioner 1996–2001 |
Succeeded by Nicholas Scoppetta |