NY Times, Dec. 1, 2002 CITY LORE 'The Loneliest Man in Congress' By JIM O'GRADY
IT'S hard to believe, in this era of the Republican Party ascendant, that there once dwelt in East Harlem a radical left-wing congressman named Vito Marcantonio. But Marcantonio is remembered by many surviving New Yorkers, most of them in their 80's and 90's, who passionately supported him during his seven terms in office, from 1935 to 1937 and 1939 to 1951. (He also ran for mayor in 1949.) Some, like former Mayor Edward I. Koch, see him as a leader with a genius for serving constituents but too closely aligned with American Communism. (Radicals seldom inspire indifference.) Next Sunday at 1 p.m., the Museum of the City of New York will celebrate Marcantonio's centennial with a gathering of historians and others who remember the congressman. Among them will be Annette Rubinstein, 92, who worked closely with Marcantonio as a board member of the American Labor Party. The other day, sitting in the modest apartment on West 71st Street that was the scene of Marcantonio's last birthday party in 1953 (he died the following year at 52), Ms. Rubinstein recalled her days with the maverick known as "the loneliest man in Congress." Her memories of Marc, as his inner circle called him, interwoven with those of other friends, colleagues and political sparring partners, provide a broad-stroke oral biography of a singular New York politician. The Early Years "His grandmother used to say to him: `Vito, either you'll be a gangster or a great man. You better be a great man.' " Annette Rubinstein "He was born on 112th Street between First and Second Avenues and was living on 116th Street between Second and Third Avenues when he died. He lived and died within four blocks. I think that's part of why the people of East Harlem loved him." Gerald Meyer, professor of history at Hostos Community College in the Bronx and author of "Vito Marcantonio: Radical Politician, 1902-1954" "Fiorello La Guardia spoke at Marc's graduation from high school. Marc was the salutatorian and spoke about the need for old-age pensions. La Guardia said, `I'm tearing up my speech and talking about the topic raised by this young man.' Later, he told Marc to call him for a job after he graduated from law school, which he did." Annette Rubinstein full: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/01/nyregion/01VITO.html ________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
