John D. Calandra (August 8, 1928 – January 20, 1986) was an American lawyer and politician from New York.

Life

He was born on August 8, 1928. He attended St. Philip Neri Grammar School, Immaculate High School, and St. Bonaventure University. He graduated from St. John's Law School. He was an Assistant

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

. He was Chairman of the Republican Party in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. He married Jo Ann Trentacosta, and they had two children. He ran for the New York State Senate in 1962 and 1964, but was defeated both times by Democrat Joseph E. Marine. In November 1965, after re-apportionment, he was elected, and then re-elected several times. He was a member of the State Senate from 1966 until his death in 1986, sitting in the 176th, 177th, 178th, 179th, 180th, 181st, 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th and

186th New York State Legislature The 186th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 9, 1985, to December 31, 1986, during the third and fourth years of Mario Cuomo's governorship, in Albany. Backgrou ...

s. In 1967, he ran for

District Attorney of Bronx County The Bronx County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the Ne ...

, but was defeated by the incumbent Democrat

Isidore Dollinger Isidore Dollinger (November 13, 1903 – January 30, 2000) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New York from 1949 to 1959. Life Dollinger was born on November 1 ...

. In the New York State Senate, Calandra rose to the position of

Majority Whip A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. This means ensuring that members of the party vote according to the party platform, rather than according to their own individual ideology ...

. Calandra lived in an area of the Bronx between Pelham and

Pelham Bay Park Pelham Bay Park is a municipal park located in the northeast corner of the New York City borough of the Bronx. It is, at , the largest public park in New York City. The park is more than three times the size of Manhattan's Central Park. The pa ...

. His son, John J. Calandra, stated that John D. Calandra faced criticism from political opponents due to his living in the area.() He died on January 20, 1986, in Mount Sinai Hospital in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, after suffering a series of

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

s. His widow Jo Ann Calandra ran as an Independent in the special election for her husband's Senate seat in April 1986, but was defeated by Republican

Guy Velella Guy John Velella (September 25, 1944 – January 27, 2011) was an American Republican politician serving as a New York State Senator from the Bronx. A political leader, state assemblyman, and state senator for over 30 years, Velella was indict ...

.''VELELLA WINS STATE SENATE RACE''
in the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' on April 23, 1986

Legacy

The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, which is located in Manhattan but under the aegis of Queens College, New York City, is named in his honor. The John D. Calandra Lodge #2600 of the Order of Sons of Italy in America (OSIA) is named after him, and was founded in 1986, based in

Yonkers Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York (state), New York, after New York City and Buffalo, New York, Buffalo. The popul ...

. Public School 14, "The Senator John D. Calandra School," is located at 3041 Bruckner Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10461, in the neighborhood of Pelham Bay. Bronx Terrace, which is off Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers, NY, was renamed Senator John D. Calandra Drive in 1986, in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calandra, John D. 1928 births 1986 deaths Republican Party New York (state) state senators Place of birth missing 20th-century American legislators Politicians from the Bronx