OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
RICHARD M. DALEY
MAYOR
April 13,2011
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith a resolution honoring the life and memory of Geraldine F Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Very truly yours, _
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Members of this Chamber were deeply saddened to learn of the death on March 26, 2011, at age 75, of Geraldine Ann Ferraro, the first woman and Italian-American to run for vice president of the United States on a major party national ticket; and
WHEREAS, Born in Newburgh, New York on August 26, 1935 to Antonetta and Dominick Ferraro, Ms. Ferraro was the youngest of four siblings. When she was eight years old, Ms. Ferraro's father died suddenly of a heart attack. Her widowed mother worked long hours as a seamstress to support the family and to educate young Geraldine in Catholic schools. In 1952, Ms. Ferraro graduated with honors from Mary mount Academy in Tarrytown, New York, where she was voted "most likely to succeed" by her high school graduating class; and
WHEREAS, With the help of a scholarship, Ms. Ferraro worked her way through college, often holding two or three jobs to support herself. The first woman in her family to earn a college degree, Ms. Ferraro graduated in 1956 from Marymount Manhattan College in Manhattan, New York, with a bachelor of arts degree in English. After graduating from college, Ms. Ferraro worked as a second grade public school teacher in Astoria, Queens, in a neighborhood that was part of the district Ms. Ferraro would later represent in Congress; and
WHEREAS, In 1960, while she was still working as a teacher, Ms. Ferraro earned her Juris Doctor degree, with honors, from Fordham University in the Bronx, New York. One of only two women in her law school graduating class, Ms. Ferraro passed the New York State Bar examination on her first try and three days later married John Zaccaro, her college sweetheart. Ms. Ferraro insisted, however, on keeping her maiden name to honor her mother; and
WHEREAS, Following her graduation from law school, Ms. Ferraro spent the next thirteen years at home raising her three children, Donna, John Jr. and Laura. During this time, Ms. Ferraro practiced law pro bono in Queens County Family Court on behalf of women and children, and she served as president of the Queens County Women's Bar Association; and
WHEREAS, In 1974, Ms. Ferraro was sworn inras an assistant district attorney'in the Queens County District Attorney's Office, where she started the Special Victims Bureau and supervised the prosecution of sex crimes, child abuse, domestic violence and crimes against the elderly; and ,
WHEREAS, Ms. Ferraro was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1978, where she represented the blue-collar 9th congressional district for three successive terms. Secretary of the Democratic Caucus, and a member of the Public Works and ! Transportation Committee, the Post Office and Civil Service Committee, the Budget Committee and the Select Committee on Aging, Ms. Ferraro was an exemplary congresswoman, whose many legislative accomplishments included the creation of a flextime program for public employees, which provided the basis for similar programs in the private sector, and her successful sponsorship of the Women's Economic Equality Act, which ended pension
discrimination against women, provided job options for displaced women and enabled homemakers to open IRA accounts; and
WHEREAS, During the 1984 presidential election, Senator Ferraro joined forces with ' Senator Walter Mondale to accept the Democratic nomination for vice president and to take her place in American history as the first female vice presidential candidate nominated for national office by a major political party; and
WHEREAS, After losing the bid for the White House, Ms. Ferraro returned to a life of public service. From 1988 to 1992, she served as a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1993, Ms. Ferraro was appointed by President Bill Clinton as United States Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission, where she served until 1996. From 1996 until 1998, Ms. Ferraro co-hosted "Crossfire", a political interview program on CNN. She was also a partner in the CEO Perspective Group, a consulting firm which advises executives, and she chaired the public affairs practice of the Global Consulting Group, a leading international communications firm. In 2007, Ms. Ferraro joined the government relations practice of Blank Rome LLP, where she counseled clients on a wide range of public policy issues; and
WHEREAS, A woman who truly believed that "America is the land where dreams can come true for all of us," Geraldine Ann Ferraro will always be remembered as trailblazer who broke down barriers for women and Americans of all backgrounds and walks of life; as a pioneer for justice and a more open society; and as a truly remarkable human being; and
WHEREAS, Geraldine Ann Ferraro is survived by John Zaccaro, her husband of more than 50 years; her two daughters, Donna and Laura; her son, John Jr.; eight grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and countless friends; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members ofthe City Council ofthe City of Chicago, assembled this thirteenth day of April, 2011, do hereby honor the life and memory of Geraldine Ann Ferraro; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the family of Geraldine Ann Ferraro as a sign of our sympathy and good wishes.