Alfred A. Lama (1899 – January 3, 1984) was an Italian-born American architect and politician. He served as a Democratic member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

from 1942 to 1972, representing portions of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

Early life

Lama was born in 1899 in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. He emigrated to the United States with his family in 1904, settling in

, New York City. Lama graduated from

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...

with a bachelor's degree in architecture.

Career

Lama was an architect. He was the co-founder of Lama & Vassalotti, an architectural firm based in Brooklyn and

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

. In 1932, he was elected as vice president of the Architects Club of Brooklyn. He was elected as the president of the Brooklyn Society of Architects in 1941. Lama served as a Democratic member of the

from 1943 to 1972, representing

. He was the co-founder of the

Mitchell–Lama Housing Program Co-op city in the Bronx, a Mitchell–Lama development The Mitchell–Lama Housing Program is a non-subsidy governmental housing guarantee in the state of New York. It was sponsored by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell and Assemblyman ...

Personal life, death and legacy

With his wife Marie, he had a son, Alfred M. Lama. They resided in

Oakdale, New York Oakdale is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 7,974 at the 2010 census. Oakdale is in the Town of Islip. It has been home to Gilded Age mansions, the South Side Sportsmen's Club, ...

. Lama died on January 3, 1984, at St. Francis Hospital in Flower Hill, New York. His funeral was held at the St. John Nepomucene Roman Catholic Church in

Bohemia, New York Bohemia is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 10,180 at the 2010 census. It is situated along the South Shore of Long Island in the Town of Islip, approximately 50 miles from N ...

. Lama Court, a small lane in Brooklyn, was named in his honor when he was an architect before he ran for office.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lama, Alfred A. 1899 births 1984 deaths Italian emigrants to the United States People from Brooklyn People from Suffolk County, New York Cooper Union alumni Architects from New York City Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly