Joseph A. Suozzi

Joseph A. Suozzi (August 22, 1921 – October 16, 2016) was an attorney at Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C., a Garden City, New York-based law firm.^[1]

In 1949, when 28 years old, he was elected to become the third of Glen Cove’s city court judges. The New York Times said that he was the youngest elected or appointed judge in the United States.^[2] He has also served as a justice in New York State's supreme court, as well as in its appellate division.^[3]

Early life

Suozzi was born in Ruvo del Monte, a small, medieval village in the southern Italian province of Potenza. He and his mother, Rosa Ciampa, emigrated to the United States in 1925. They joined his father, Michele, who had preceded them to the U.S., arriving in 1913. Before returning to Italy in 1920 to marry, Michele Suozzi served in the U.S. infantry, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. As a result, Joseph Suozzi was also a citizen of the United States.

Suozzi attended elementary and high school in Glen Cove and Oyster Bay. He volunteered as an Air Cadet prior to his graduation from college. He entered military service with the United States Air Force during World War II, and became a navigator assigned to a B-24 bombing crew of the 15th Air Force. He was based at Torretta Air Field, in Cerignola, Italy – less than 50 miles from his birthplace. He completed 35 bombing missions in Austria, Yugoslavia, Germany, and Italy, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with three Clusters.^[4]

Career

After attending Harvard Law School, Suozzi was admitted to the practice of law in the State of New York, where he joined with Glen Cove Mayor Luke Mercadante as a law partner, with an office in Glen Cove. The law firm became Mercadante, Suozzi, and Sordi, with the addition of Nicholas A. Sordi, and later Suozzi & Sordi, until Suozzi's election to the supreme court in 1960.

Suozzi was elected to the bench of the City Court of Glen Cove in 1949, and re-elected in 1953. He resigned in September 1955, to become a candidate for mayor of Glen Cove and supervisor of the County of Nassau. He served as mayor from 1956 until 1960. In 1961 he was elected to a fourteen-year term as justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York. He was re-elected in 1974 for another term, with bipartisan support. In 1976, Governor Hugh Cary appointed him associate justice of the appellate division, second department.^[5] In 1980, he left that bench and resumed the general practice of law as a senior partner in the law firm of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C.

Family

Suozzi is the father of former Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi, who was elected Mayor of the City of Glen Cove at the age of 31, and became the youngest person ever to hold the Nassau County Executive position, which he held from 2002-2009. Suozzi has four other children: the late Joseph M. Suozzi, an attorney and accountant who was associated with Deutsche Bank in Europe, daughter Rosemary Mancini Lloyd, who is a Unitarian minister and assistant pastor of the First Church of Boston, Dr. William Suozzi, a doctor of internal medicine, and Christopher Suozzi, who is associated with Credit Suisse First Boston.

References

• "Takes a Seat on the Bench at 28." New York Times (1923-Current file): 19. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2008). Dec 29 1949. Web. 16 July 2012.
• "County's 650 New Names to Be Inscribed on Walls of Honor Memorial," Hicksville Illustrated News, July 22, 2005
• "Carey Names 3 Justices to Appellate Division." New York Times (1923-Current file): 35. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2008). Oct 19 1976. Web. 16 July 2012.