Anthony 'Tony' D'Urso (born October 17, 1939) is an

Italian-American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...

politician who represented the 16th District of the New York State Assembly from 2017 to 2020. First elected in 2016, he is a Democrat. The district includes the majority of the town of

North Hempstead North Hempstead is one of three towns in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 237,639 at the 2020 census. History The area was first settled by Europeans around 1643 and became part of the town of Hemps ...

in Nassau County on Long Island.

Early life

Born in Italy, D'Urso immigrated to the United States at age 21 with only eight years of education. As a child in

Formia Formia is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Latina, on the Mediterranean coast of Lazio, Italy. It is located halfway between Rome and Naples, and lies on the Roman-era Appian Way. It has a population of 38,095. Istat 2017 History ...

, Italy, he witnessed both of his parents risking their lives to hide a Jewish family from the German soldiers. During

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

, D'urso's father hid about 12

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

from the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...

at great risk to his own family, saving them from deportation. With the help of Michael Weinstock, D'urso had the opportunity to meet members of the Sinigallias family in Naples in January 2018, descendants of the people his father rescued.

Career

D'Urso began his public service career in 1971 with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, where he rose through the ranks to become assistant commissioner of the Division of Architecture Engineering and Construction. During this time, he also taught at Bronx Community College and volunteered with youth sports teams and community organizations. While working full-time, he received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the

Pratt Institute School of Architecture The Pratt Institute School of Architecture is located in New York City with courses being taught at Brooklyn and Manhattan campuses. In 2012 the journal 'DesignIntelligence' ranked it in the ten best architecture schools in the United States. Alum ...

. In 1991, D'Urso was elected councilman for the town of North Hempstead, and was reelected four times. He would be term limited in 2005. Over ten years later, Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel announced in early 2016 that she would not seek a sixth term. While the district was considered competitive, Nassau Democrats coalesced behind D'Urso. Facing no primary, D'Urso was free to focus on the general election, where he would face Republican Matthew Varvaro, who he defeated, 52% to 48%, to take the seat. He was reelected easily in 2018, winning by a margin of 63% to 37%. In the Assembly, D'Urso is the chair of the Long Island Sound Committee. On February 20, 2019,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

invited D'Urso to Rome and honored him, for his efforts hiding his Jewish friends from the Nazis, when he was a boy.

Personal life

D'Urso and his wife, Maria, lived in

New Hyde Park, New York New Hyde Park is a village in the Towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. It is the anchor community of the Greater New Hyde Park area. The population was 9,712 at the 2010 census. ...

for 35 years before moving to

Port Washington, New York Port Washington is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) on the Cow Neck Peninsula in the Town of North Hempstead, in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York. The hamlet is the anchor community of the Greater Port Wa ...

, where they currently reside. They have four children.

References

External links

New York Assemblyman Anthony D'Urso (D-Port Washington)
{{DEFAULTSORT:D'Urso, Anthony Living people Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly People from Long Island 21st-century American politicians 1939 births Bronx Community College faculty Italian emigrants to the United States American politicians of Italian descent