A Champion of Liberal Causes in New York to Retire After 52 Years [View all]

Source: New York Times

A Champion of Liberal Causes in New York to Retire After 52 Years

Assemblyman Dick Gottfried, the longest-serving state lawmaker in New York’s history, pushed progressive proposals decades before they won momentum in Albany.

By Luis Ferré-Sadurní
Dec. 13, 2021
Updated 5:06 p.m. ET

In 1970, as the nation was embroiled in protests over civil rights and the Vietnam War, a boyish-looking, progressive-minded, antiwar law student was elected to represent Manhattan’s West Side in the New York State Assembly.

The 23-year-old student, Richard Gottfried, became one of the youngest lawmakers elected in the state, and it did not take long for him to develop a reputation as a champion of liberal policies that were nobly idealistic but also often politically infeasible — even if the concepts would later become popular within the party.

He spoke out in favor of legalizing prostitution in the ’70s, shepherded legislation to decriminalize marijuana in 1977 and was the first lawmaker to introduce a same-sex marriage bill in 2003.

A half-century and 26 elections later, Mr. Gottfried, now 74, holds the record as the longest-serving legislator in New York’s history.

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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/13/nyregion/dick-gottfried-retire.html

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