Norman J. Levy (January 24, 1931 – February 7, 1998) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He served in the New York State Senate for 27 years, and was the sponsor of the first legislation in the United States mandating seat belt usage.

Biography

Levy was born on January 24, 1931, in

Rockville Centre Rockville Centre, commonly abbreviated as RVC, is an incorporated village located in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 24,023 at the 2010 census. Histo ...

Nassau County, New York Nassau County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. At the 2020 U.S. census, Nassau County's population is 1,395,774. The county seat is Mineola and the largest town is Hempstead. Nassau County is situated on western Long Isl ...

. He graduated from

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering ...

in 1952, and then served in the

U.S. 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, cl ...

. He graduated from

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and a number of adjunct faculty. Brookly ...

in 1958, was admitted to the bar, and practiced law. He entered politics as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. In 1959, he was appointed as an Assistant D.A. of Nassau County, and in 1962 became Chief of the Nassau County Rackets Bureau which prosecuted organized crime. He was a member of the New York State Senate from 1971 until his death in 1998, sitting in the 179th, 180th, 181st, 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th,

189th 189th may refer to: *189th (Canadien-Français) Battalion, CEF, a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War *189th Airlift Squadron, a unit of the Idaho Air National Guard that flies the C-130 Hercules *189th Airlift Wing, ...

, 190th, 191st and 192nd New York State Legislatures. Levy was Chairman of the Committee on Transportation. In that capacity, he helped to secure state funding for projects related to Long Island's parkways and the Long Island Rail Road. Levy sponsored New York's mandatory seatbelt law, which was the first one in the United States. He also sponsored

zero tolerance A zero tolerance policy is one which imposes a punishment for every infraction of a stated rule.zero tolerance, n.' (under ''zero, n.''). The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Ed. 1989. Retrieved 10 November 2009. Italy, Japan, Singapore China, Indi ...

legislation that prohibited drivers under the age of 21 from operating a motor vehicle after consuming any amount of alcohol. In June 1997, Levy had emergency brain surgery. He died in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...

, of complications from a brain tumor.

Legacy

In August 1998, signs were installed along the

Meadowbrook State Parkway The Meadowbrook State Parkway (also known as the Meadowbrook, the Meadowbrook Parkway or the MSP) is a parkway in Nassau County, New York, in the United States. Its southern terminus is at a full cloverleaf interchange with the Bay and Ocean ...

dedicating the road in honor of Levy for his role in sponsoring seat belt legislation. The new signs were unveiled in a ceremony in the median of the parkway just south of Merrick Road. Dignitaries at the honoring ceremony included then-Governor

George Pataki George Elmer Pataki (; born June 24, 1945) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. An attorney by profession, Pataki was elected mayor of his hometown of Peekskill, New York, and went on ...

, Senator

Charles Fuschillo Charles J. Fuschillo Jr. (born July 1, 1960) is a former Republican member of the New York State Senate from Long Island. From 1998 to 2013, he represented the 8th State Senate district, which spans several South Shore communities in both Na ...

and Levy's widow, Joy Levy. Signs were erected at both ends of the Meadowbrook Parkway and at a point near the Babylon Turnpike interchange. The Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve and Norman J. Levy Lakeside elementary school located in

Merrick, New York Merrick is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. , the population was 20,130. Geography According to the United States Census Bu ...

are both named after him. The park can be reached off an exit on the Meadowbrook Parkway. The park was opened to the public on October 22, 2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Norman J. 1931 births 1998 deaths People from Rockville Centre, New York Bucknell University alumni Brooklyn Law School alumni Republican Party New York (state) state senators 20th-century American politicians