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The National Italian American Foundation Mourns the Passing of Former Congressman Guy V. Molinari

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Don Oldenburg
National Italian American Foundation
202-939-3108
don@niaf.org


(Washington, D.C. – July 26, 2018) The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) mourns the passing of former U.S. Congressman Guy V. Molinari.

“On behalf of the National Italian American Foundation Board of Directors, we are saddened by the passing of former Congressman Molinari, who was a political power broker and the dean of Staten Island’s Republican Party,” said NIAF Co-chairs Patricia de Stacy Harrison and Gabriel A. Battista. “He was a proud Italian American and a dedicated public servant best known for his lifelong passion for his borough.”

Born in 1928, on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Congressman Molinari was the son of an Italian immigrant father and a mother of Czechoslovakian descent. Perhaps prescient of his future life in politics, as a teen Gaetano Kenneth Molinari changed his middle name to Victor because he thought Guy V. Molinari sounded better than Guy K. Molinari.

After earning a law degree, Congressman Molinari served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War, from 1951 to 1953. Upon his return to New York, he practiced law on Staten Island, and eventually entered the political fray as a staunch Republican in a Democratic stronghold city. From 1975 to 2001, he served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, three in the New York State Assembly, and three as Staten Island borough president. His daughter, Susan Molinari, succeeded him, winning his Congressional seat when he retired from Congress in 1990.

Throughout his career, Congressman Molinari left his indelible mark in many ways on his beloved Staten Island. One of the Staten Island ferries is even named “Guy V. Molinari.” Congressman Molinari passed away on July 25, at the age of 89.


The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to preserving, promoting and protecting the Italian American heritage and culture. To learn more about the Foundation and become a member, please visit www.niaf.org.