Herman Badillo Herman Badillo ( born August 21 , 1929 in Caguas , Puerto Rico ) is a Bronx , New York politician who has been a borough president , United States Representative , and candidate for Mayor of New York City . He was the first Puerto Rican to be elected to these posts ( and run for mayor ) in the United States ( outside of Puerto Rico ) . Herman Badillo When Badillo was 11 years old , both of his parents died of tuberculosis and he was sent to live with his aunt in New York City . After graduating from the public school system , Badillo attended and earned a Bachelor 's degree from the City College of New York in 1951 . In 1954 , he received an LLB. from Brooklyn Law School graduating first in his class . The following year he was admitted to the New York State Bar . In 1956 , he also became a certified public accountant . Early Political Career In 1958 , Badillo joined the `` Caribe Democratic Club '' and has since then held various offices within the City and State , including Bronx Borough President in 1965 . Prior to becoming the Borough President , he served as New York Commissioner of Housing Preservation and Development . U.S. House of Representatives In 1970 , Badillo was elected to the United States House of Representatives from New York 's 21st District in the South Bronx , thus becoming the first Puerto Rican to so serve . He was also re-elected for three subsequent consecutive terms . He also gained a seat on the Committee on Education and Labor . In 1976 he was challenged by South Bronx Councilman Ramon Velez in a bitter race for the Democratic Party nomination for Congressman of the 21st District . Badillo , however , was easily reelected with 75 percent of the vote . In December of that year , he was one of the five Latino members of Congress who established the Congressional Hispanic Caucus . Through his efforts , job training for unemployed non- English speaking citizens were included in the `` Comprehensive Manpower Act of 1973 `` . Badillo also served on the Banking , Finance and Urban Affairs Committee , and the Small Business Committee where he had a seat on the Minority Enterprise and General Oversight Sub-committee . During his time in office he supported legislation intended to fight various forms of discrimination including age and marital status discrimination in employment . Although he would later become a vociferous opponent of bilingual education , as a congressman Badillo was one of the first champions of funding for bilingual education programs . Some proponents of bilingual and ESL education , and opponents of English immersion , have attacked Badillo for his newfound opposition to Spanish-language teaching . He was also a critical player in the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act and the inclusion of its lanaguage access provisions . During his tenure in the Congress , he became an important national voice for federal investment in urban centers . First Three Mayoral Campaigns He unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York in 1969 , 1973 and 1977 , coming closest on his second try when he was defeated by Abe Beame in a runoff primary . Deputy Mayor of New York City Badillo resigned from Congress on December 31 , 1977 to become deputy mayor of New York City under Mayor Ed Koch , a position he held until September 1979 . Badillo was one of seven deputy mayors appointed by Koch for the first portion of his administration . As a deputy mayor , Badillo handled labor relations and community outreach for Koch . In a major public disagreement with Mayor Koch over the lack of support for his program to revitalize the South Bronx , Badillo resigned his post . Some argue that Badillo made a major career mistake in giving up his Congressional post for this appointed position under Mayor Koch . Post City Hall Career and State Comptroller Campaign After leaving City Hall , Badillo worked as an attorney in New York City . In 1985 he considered a bid for mayor against Koch in the Democratic Primary . In 1986 , Badillo was the Democratic nominee for New York State Comptroller , losing to Republican incumbent Edward Regan . City Comptroller Campaign In 1993 , Badillo , though still a Democrat , ran for Comptroller of New York City on a `` fusion '' ticket with Republican Rudy Giuliani . He also sought the Democratic nomination , but finished third , behind Alan Hevesi and the incumbent Comptroller , Elizabeth Holtzman . In the general election , although Giuliani won the mayoralty , Badillo lost to Hevesi . In the general election , Badillo was the nominee of the Republican and Liberal Parties . Giuliani Administration and CUNY Chairmanship Badillo held a series of positions within the Giuliani administration , where he served as the mayor 's Special Counsel on education policy and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York . In his capacity as Giuliani 's education advisor , Badillo advocated increased Mayoral control of the public schools and a revamped curriculum ; he was also Giuliani 's liaison to the City 's Board of Education . As CUNY Chairman , Badillo led a successful effort to end open enrollment and revamp the curriculum . These actions gained him some support in conservative circles , but alienated him from the mainstrream of the Puerto Rican political leadership , which had been his traditional base . He stepped down as education special counsel and CUNY Chairman when he announced his candidacy for Mayor in 2001 . Despite his strong support of Mayor Giuliani , Badillo never received Giuliani or the Republican Party 's serious support in his bid for Mayor , badly losing the Republican primary to multi-millionaire Michael Bloomberg , who had just switched from Democrat to Republican , as Badillo had done earlier . Republican Party Switch and 2001 Mayoral Campaign In the late 1990s , Badillo formally joined the Republican Party and ran for mayor of New York City , losing the 2001 Republican primary to the eventual victor , Michael Bloomberg . Publications and Buffalo , NY School Badillo 's publications include : `` A Bill of No Rights : Attica and the American Prison System '' ( 1972 ) and `` Plain Talk '' ( 1981 ) . There is also a school in Buffalo , New York called P.S. 76 Herman Badillo Community School . Current Career Badillo is now dedicated to his law practice in New York . In 2005 he became `` of counsel `` to the New York City law firm of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo P . C . NYS and NYC Tickets Herman Badillo Ran On 1986 NYS Democratic Ticket Governor : Mario Cuomo Lieutenant Governor : Stan Lundine Comptroller : Herman Badillo Attorney General : Robert Abrams U.S. Senate : Mark J. Green 1993 NYC Republican and Liberal Ticket Mayor : Rudy Giuliani Public Advocate : Susan Alter Comptroller : Herman Badillo See also List of famous Puerto Ricans External links `` Of Counsel Profile '' - biography on law firm website Hispanic Americans in Congress -- Badillo Puerto Rico Herald : Puerto Rico Profile : Herman Badillo NYC Campaign Finance Board : The 2001 Voter Guides Badillo for Mayor Endorsement by the New York Press . Badillo Is Said to Be Switching to the Republicans Hooray For Herman The best candidate wo n't win this time Preceded by : Jacob H. Gilbert Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York 's 22nd congressional district 1971–1973 Succeeded by : Jonathan B. Bingham Preceded by : James H. Scheuer Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York 's 21st congressional district 1973–1977 Succeeded by : Robert Garcia Categories : 1929 births | Living people | Bronx borough presidents | Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York | New York City mayoral candidates | Puerto Rican politicians | Roman Catholic politicians | City University of New York people New York 22 22nd Jacob H. Gilbert Jonathan B. Bingham 1971–1973 New York 21 21st James H. Scheuer Robert Garcia 1973–1977 