III 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 589 

Commending New York State Senator John J. Marchi on his 50 years 

in the New York State Senate and on becoming the longest serving 

state legislator in the United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 28, 2006 

Mr. SCHUMER submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Commending New York State Senator John J. Marchi on 

his 50 years in the New York State Senate and on 

becoming the longest serving state legislator in the 

United States. 

Whereas New York State Senator John J. Marchi has been 

recognized by the National Conference of State Legislatures as the longest serving state legislator in the United 

States; 

Whereas State Senator Marchi was born on May 20, 1921, 

in Staten Island and attended local primary and secondary schools in New York, then Manhattan College, 

from which he graduated with first honors in 1942, St. 

John’s University School of Law, from which he received 


ccoleman on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
2 

•SRES 589 IS 

a law degree, and Brooklyn Law School, from which he 

received an advanced degree in law; 

Whereas, during World War II, State Senator Marchi served 

in the United States Coast Guard and saw combat in the 

Atlantic and Pacific theaters and in the China Sea, and 

subsequently served in the United States Naval Reserve 

until 1982; 

Whereas, in 1956, State Senator Marchi was elected to the 

New York State Senate and has served the citizens of 

Senate District 24 for 50 years, making him the longest 

serving state legislator in the United States; 

Whereas State Senator Marchi served as a delegate to the 

New York Constitutional Convention in 1967; 

Whereas State Senator Marchi is a recognized leader of the 

New York State Senate and was named Assistant Majority Leader on Conference Operations in January 2005, 

Assistant Majority Whip in 2003, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions in 1995, and Vice President Pro Tempore in 1989; 

Whereas, prior to holding these offices, State Senator Marchi 

served as Chairman of the Finance Committee for 15 

years; 

Whereas State Senator Marchi is a tireless leader and advocate for New York City, has served on the City of New 

York Committee in the New York State Senate, and was 

named Chairman of the Temporary State Commission on 

New York City School Governance in 1989, a panel of 

civic, governmental, business, and educational leaders 

that conducted a 2-year examination of the control of the 

city schools and, in 1991, gave the State legislature a 

package of proposals intended to improve the administraVerDate Aug 31 2005 06:23 Sep 29, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR589.IS SR589

ccoleman on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
3 

•SRES 589 IS 

tion of, and public participation in, the New York City 

school system; 

Whereas State Senator Marchi is widely recognized as one of 

the city and State leaders who helped write the laws that 

saved New York City from financial collapse in the mid1970s; 

Whereas State Senator Marchi sponsored the bill, now law, 

that modernized New York State’s financial reporting 

and bookkeeping practices so that the legislature and the 

public could see more clearly the State government’s actual fiscal condition; 

Whereas, in 1997, State Senator Marchi successfully advanced—and saw passed and signed into law—a bill to 

require the closing by January 1, 2002 of the Fresh Kills 

Landfill, Staten Island’s worst environmental problem for 

more than half a century, which the legislature had not 

previously scheduled for closure; 

Whereas State Senator Marchi has also been a leader in the 

development of legislation to strengthen public education 

from kindergarten through graduate school; 

Whereas State Senator Marchi has been a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Governors of the Council of State Governments since 1965, is a former Chairman of the Committee, and was designated the first permanent member of the Committee in 1982; 

Whereas, in 1969 and 1973, State Senator Marchi was the 

candidate of the Republican Party for the Office of 

Mayor of the City of New York; 

Whereas, in October 1972, State Senator Marchi was appointed by President Nixon to serve as the only legislator 


ccoleman on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
4 

•SRES 589 IS 

on the National Advisory Committee on Drug Abuse Prevention; 

Whereas, following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the New 

York Senate Majority Leader appointed State Senator 

Marchi to head the New York Senate Task Force on 

World Trade Center Recovery, which was to help oversee 

the reconstruction of Ground Zero; 

Whereas, on June 2, 1968, State Senator Marchi received 

from the President and Prime Minister of Italy the highest award that country bestows on a nonresident, the 

award of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy, and in 1992, the Senator received another 

of Italy’s most prestigious honors, the Filippo Mazzei 

Award, in recognition of his public service and for helping to strengthen relations between the United States 

and Italy; 

Whereas State Senator Marchi is the recipient of the Mills 

G. Skinner Award of the National Urban League, an organization devoted to empowering African Americans to 

enter the economic and social mainstream; 

Whereas, in 1976, the New York State Veterans of Foreign 

Wars conferred upon the Senator the Silver Commendation Medal for ‘‘legislative service to veterans and all New 

Yorkers’’; and 

Whereas, in 1971, State Senator Marchi was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from St. John’s 

University and, in 1973, received the same degree from 

Manhattan College, and in 1974, was awarded the degree 

of Doctor of Laws from Wagner College: Now, therefore, 

be it 


ccoleman on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
5 

•SRES 589 IS 

1 Resolved, That the Senate commends New York State 

2 Senator John J. Marchi for his 50-year tenure in the New 

3 York State Senate, on becoming the longest serving state 

4 legislator in the United States, and on his lifelong commit5 ment to the citizens of Staten Island and New York. 

Æ 


ccoleman on PROD1PC71 with BILLS