Edward Koch TOPICS: Government/Politics Liberal Politics Law Journalism FEE CATEGORY:* 10.0k to 15.0k TRAVELS FROM: New York Profile Request This Speaker

Edward Koch: Profile

Former New York City Mayor, TV Commentator, and Author

Edward Irving Koch was born in the Bronx on December 12, 1924. He served as the 105th Mayor of New York City for three terms from 1978 to 1989. In 1989, he ran for a fourth term as Mayor and was defeated by David Dinkins in the Democratic primary. Prior to being Mayor, Mr. Koch served for nine years as a Congressman and two years as a member of the New York City Council.

He attended City College of New York from 1941 to 1943. In his last year of college, he was drafted into the Army where he served with the 104th Infantry Division. He received two battle stars, Combat Infantry badge, and was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant in 1946. In that year, he also attended the New York University School of Law. He received his L.L.B. degree in 1948 and began to practice law immediately thereafter. In 1981, CCNY awarded Mr. Koch a B.A. degree.

Mr. Koch is credited with many major achievements as Mayor. First and foremost, he restored fiscal stability to the City of New York, and he was responsible for placing the City on a GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Practices) balanced budget basis. He created a housing program that, over a ten-year period, provided 150,000 units of affordable housing financed by city funds in the amount of $5.1 billion.

He is currently a partner in the law firm of Bryan Cave LLP. He hosts a Sunday morning call-in radio program on Bloomberg AM 1130 (WBBR) and is also a commentator on that same station. Mr. Koch is a weekly guest on NY1 television, and each week he writes a political column and publishes movie reviews that appear in three newspapers. He also lectures around the country and overseas. Mr. Koch was appointed by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell as chairman of the U.S. delegation to the Conference on Anti-Semitism sponsored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The conference, held in Berlin, Germany, in April 2004, was extraordinarily successful in binding the 55 member nations in their resolve to reduce and seek the elimination of rising anti-Semitism by enacting civil legislation and educating the youth throughout the world of the dangers of anti-Semitism.

Mr. Koch is the author of numerous books and articles. His book titles include: Mayor, 1984; Politics, 1985; His Eminence And Hizzoner, 1989; All The Best, 1990; Citizen Koch, 1992; Ed Koch On Everything, 1994; Giuliani: Nasty Man, 1999; I’m Not Done Yet: Remaining Relevant, 2000; Murder At City Hall, 1995; Murder On Broadway, 1996; Murder on 34th Street, 1997; The Senator Must Die, 1998.

Suggested Speech Topic:
Ed Koch on Everything
Reflecting on his diverse experiences as a political figure, lawyer, arts and restaurant critic, and author, Mr. Koch addresses contemporary issues including everything from his national political insights and vision of metropolitan leadership to poignant personal stories and anecdotes on food, film, and media.

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