Alphonse D’Amato
Former United States Sen. Alphonse “Al” Marcello D’Amato is a man known for his political expertise and dependable service.
A Brooklyn native, he was born on August 1, 1937. Earning his Bachelor’s degree from the Syracuse University School of Business Administration in 1951, Al D’Amato was a member of the National Fraternity Alpha Chi Rho. This exclusive organization spearheads a number of philanthropic initiatives, all for its mission of lifelong moral, intellectual, and social development.
Alphonse D’ Amato then attended Syracuse Law School from where he graduated in 1961. He passed the New York Bar examinations in 1962.
Alphonse D’Amato ran for his first public office in 1965 as the three-year term Public Administrator for Nassau County. In 1969, he became a tax assessor in Hempstead, New York prior to becoming its Town Supervisor from 1971-1977. Another influential post followed as presiding supervisor and then Vice-Chairman of Nassau County’s Board of Supervisors from 1977-1980.
What began in 1980 was Alphonse D’Amato’s three consecutive terms as Republican Senator upon his defeat of then U.S. Senator Jacob Javits in the primary elections. His reelection in 1986 and 1992 translated to an 18-year track record in the Senate. Through his long career as a respected official, Alphonse D’Amato served as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, Housing and Urban Affairs, and Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee as well as of the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. Among his many responsibilities was to formulate tax-relief programs and systems geared to address the concerns of the working middle class.
One remarkable anecdote of his filibusters is when he sang Deep in the Heart of Texas and South of the Border in an effort to save a number of people from unemployment at an upstate typewriter company.
In 1999, he created Park Strategies LLC, now an established business consultancy and public policy firm. Its offices are in Long Island, Washington D.C., Albany, New York and New York City.
Al D’Amato is a champion for the legalization of poker. Currently, he is Poker Players Alliance’s (PPA) chairman. This nonprofit institution commits itself to the protection and advocacy of the rights of poker players. One particular issue is that of allowing poker players to play online. He signed a lobbying agreement with the group in March 2007.
Currently living in Lido Beach, New York with second wife Katuria Elizabeth Smith (2004), he fathered Al D’Amato Jr. at the age of 70. He also cherishes his four children with his first wife, Penelope.