Serphin R. Maltese (born December 7, 1932) is an American attorney and retired politician from the state of New York. A onetime chairman of the Conservative Party of New York, Maltese served as a state senator from

District 15 District 15 or 15th district can refer to: U.S. political districts Federal level * Illinois's 15th congressional district * Michigan's 15th congressional district * Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district * Ohio's 15th congressional district S ...

from 1989 through 2008.

Early life

Maltese, an Italian-American, was born in the neighborhood of

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 di ...

in the

borough of 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 1951, he graduated from

Stuyvesant High School , motto_translation = For knowledge and wisdom , address = 345 Chambers Street , city = New York , state = New York , zipcode = 10282 , country ...

. He received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from

Manhattan College Manhattan College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts university in the Bronx, New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers) as an academy for day students, it was la ...

in 1958 and an LL.B. and a J.D. from the

Fordham University School of Law Fordham University School of Law is the law school of Fordham University. The school is located in Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city. In 2013, 91% of the law school's first-time test take ...

. He is a

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

veteran.

Career

Maltese has served as a Queens Assistant District Attorney and Deputy Chief of the Queens Homicide Bureau. In 1984, Maltese ran for a seat in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from central

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 ...

. The seat was being vacated by

Geraldine Ferraro Geraldine Anne Ferraro (August 26, 1935 March 26, 2011) was an American politician, diplomat, and attorney. She served in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1985, and was the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee ...

, who was chosen to run for

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

on the Democratic ticket with

Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928 – April 19, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. A U.S. senator from Minnesota ...

. Maltese was defeated by Democrat

Thomas J. Manton Thomas J. Manton (November 3, 1932 – July 22, 2006) was an American politician who represented the 9th and 7th Congressional District of New York in the United States House of Representatives Early life and education Born in New York City, ...

. Maltese served as chairman of the Conservative Party of New York from 1986 to 1988. Maltese represented

New York's 15th State Senate District New York's 15th State Senate district is one of 63 districts in the New York State Senate. It has been represented by Democrat Joseph Addabbo Jr. since 2009, following his defeat of longtime Republican incumbent Serphin Maltese. Geography Dist ...

, located in

, from 1989 to 2008. He was elected as a Conservative for his first two terms, at most times with endorsement by the Republican and

Right to Life The right to life is the belief that a being has the right to live and, in particular, should not be killed by another entity. The concept of a right to life arises in debates on issues including capital punishment, with some people seeing it a ...

parties. He became a Republican in 1990, and continued to win re-election in a district that normally favored Democrats. In 2006, Maltese was nearly defeated, narrowly beating Democrat Albert Baldeo by 894 votes. In 2008, Maltese was soundly defeated by New York City Councilman

Joseph Addabbo, Jr. Joseph Patrick Addabbo Jr. (born May 13, 1964) is an American politician, a Democratic member of the New York State Senate from the 15th district representing Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Glendale, Middle Village, Maspeth and parts ...

as the Democrats took control of the State Senate. During his Senate career, Maltese sponsored 239 bills that became law.

Community involvement

As of February 2019, Maltese served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of

Christ The King Regional High School Christ the King Regional High School is a co-educational, college preparatory, Catholic high school for grades 9-12 located in Middle Village, Queens, New York, United States and established in 1962. It is located within the Roman Catholic Dioces ...

, an independent Catholic high school in

Middle Village, Queens Middle Village is a mainly residential neighborhood in the central section of the borough of Queens, New York City, bounded to the north by the Long Island Expressway, to the east by Woodhaven Boulevard, to the south by Cooper Avenue and the form ...

Personal life

Maltese is married to portrait painter Constance Del Vecchio; they have two children and several grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maltese, Serphin R. 1932 births Living people American politicians of Italian descent United States Army personnel of the Korean War Conservative Party of New York State politicians Republican Party New York (state) state senators People from Queens, New York Stuyvesant High School alumni Manhattan College alumni United States Army non-commissioned officers