Ivan C. Lafayette (July 28, 1930 – October 4, 2016) was an American politician who represented the 34th District in 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 ...

, which comprises portions of Jackson Heights, Corona, and Elmhurst. He served as Deputy Speaker of the Assembly from 2006 to 2008.

Life and career

Originally from Monticello, Sullivan County, New York, Lafayette attended schools in

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 ...

and graduated from high school in 1947. He received his B.A. from

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus. Being New York City's first publ ...

in 1955 and moved to Jackson Heights, Queens, where he and his family have lived since 1956. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

from December 1952 to December 1954. Lafayette was a member of the

from 1977 to 2008, sitting in the 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th, 189th, 190th, 191st, 192nd, 193rd, 194th, 195th, 196th, and

197th New York State Legislature The 197th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3, 2007, to December 31, 2008, during Eliot Spitzer's and the early part of David Paterson's governorship, in Albany ...

s. He served in a variety of capacities both in government and within the Democratic Party, including as a former District Leader and New York State Democratic Committeeman. During his tenure in the New York State Assembly, he served in various leadership positions such as Speaker Pro Tempore and as the Chair of the Insurance Committee, where he spearheaded consumer protection legislation. He also served as the Chair of the Queens Delegation for many years, prioritizing and advocating for borough-wide needs. He did not seek re-election in 2008. Lafayette died on October 4, 2016, at the age of 86. A street co-naming proposal is underway by Councilmember Daniel Dromm to rededicate the corner of his former Assembly District office, at the northwest corner of 92nd Street and 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights, to be called "NYS Assemblyman Ivan Lafayette Way".

References

External links

NY Dems BiographyGotham Gazette's Eye On Albany: New York State Assembly: District 34Nolan, Lafayette Named To Top Assembly Jobs
1930 births 2016 deaths Deputy Speakers of the New York State Assembly Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Brooklyn College alumni People from Monticello, New York Military personnel from New York (state) United States Army soldiers People from Jackson Heights, Queens {{NewYork-NYAssembly-stub