Edward Koch is a highly respected figure in New York City politics. When he took office as mayor in the late 1970s, the city was on the brink of financial collapse and social unrest. Yet, with a combination of experience and determination, Koch pulled New York back from the edge of bankruptcy and restored its former glory, as reported by manhattanyes.com.
A Difficult Childhood
Born in the Bronx on December 12, 1924, Edward was the second of three children to Polish-Jewish immigrants. In 1941, he enrolled at City College of New York, but his studies were interrupted by World War II. Koch was drafted into the 104th Infantry Division. After the war, he attended New York University Law School. During this time, he joined the liberal political reform group, the Village Independent Democrats. Koch was admitted to the bar in 1949 and began his law practice.
Achievements as Mayor
His political career began in 1956 after moving to Greenwich Village. By 1963, Koch became the leader of the local Democratic Party chapter. He was later elected to the New York City Council and then to the U.S. Congress, first representing New York’s 17th district and later the 18th.
In 1977, he ran in the Democratic mayoral primary against six other candidates. Nobody expected the member of the liberal Greenwich Village clubs to come out on top, but he did, thanks to his promise of pragmatic solutions to save the bankrupt city. Serving three terms as mayor, Koch earned a reputation as an **inveterate civil rights fighter** whose no-nonsense style and untamed views both galvanized and irritated New Yorkers.
Edward Koch convinced Congress to provide New York City with additional guarantees for federal loans, which gave him the leverage to bring the city’s finances under control. He balanced the budget, cut spending, and negotiated favorable municipal labor contracts. He also launched programs to revitalize neighborhoods that had been devastated by years of neglect and arson. The new mayor also introduced a system to reward judges and initiated large-scale housing construction projects. In political circles, he was known as an unconventional Democrat, a fierce supporter of the death penalty, and a champion of gay rights.
In 1981, with the support of both the Democratic and Republican parties, he was re-elected mayor. Koch’s omnipresence became such a source of tension among City Hall journalists—who didn’t want to miss a single story—that his press secretary eventually installed a bell in their workroom. This way, she could alert them all at once when the mayor was available.
Both his critics and friends agreed that one of Koch’s biggest mistakes was succumbing to his own media image. This hubris led him to run for governor in 1982, a year he later admitted was a “folly.” He faced Andrew Cuomo in the primary and lost. After the defeat, Koch wrote the bestseller Mayor (1984), in which he harshly criticized rivals and friends. He was re-elected for the last time in 1985.
Koch’s third term as mayor was marked by corruption scandals and investigations involving his political allies, which resulted in some of his aides and close associates being sent to prison. Although he was not personally implicated in any wrongdoing, his administration earned a negative reputation.
When he ran for a fourth term, Koch lost to David Dinkins, who became New York City’s first African-American mayor.
A Multifaceted Personality
Colleagues remember Koch as a man who juggled many careers. While building a political career, he simultaneously worked at a law firm, was a columnist, writer, radio host, playwright, film critic, and lecturer. He appeared in the media very often, making him one of New York’s most recognizable figures. In total, Koch co-authored 17 books, including eight autobiographies, two children’s books, and several detective novels in which he personally appeared as the detective.
Edward always spoke his mind, without mincing words. For instance, he claimed that movie tickets were too expensive and believed that the United Nations, after voting against Israel, was made up of “gangsters and thugs.”
The only off-limits topics for Edward were his heroic service in World War II and his sexual orientation. Being unmarried, he was constantly asked about his sexuality, questions he mostly ignored.
In the final years of his life, Koch softened slightly, seeking reconciliation with former rivals, but he refused to compromise when it came to standards of public service. In the summer of 2010, at the age of 80, Edward began a campaign called “New York Uprising” to reform the state’s government. Despite a heart condition that required him to have two pacemakers, he took to a jeep for a media tour of upstate New York. Edward Koch passed away on February 1, 2013, due to congestive heart failure.