Bruce F. Caputo

Bruce Faulkner Caputo (born August 7, 1943) is an American lawyer and politician from New York. He is most notable for his service as a member of the New York State Assembly (1973 to 1976) and the United States House of Representatives (1977 to 1979).

Bruce F. Caputo
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 23rd district
In office
January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1979
Preceded byPeter A. Peyser
Succeeded byPeter A. Peyser
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 87th district
In office
January 1, 1973 – December 31, 1976
Preceded byThomas J. McInerney
Succeeded byThomas J. McInerney
Personal details
Born
Bruce Faulkner Caputo

(1943-08-07) August 7, 1943
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseBonnie Caputo
EducationHarvard University (BA, MBA)
Georgetown University (JD)

Early life

Caputo was born in New York City on August 7, 1943, the son of Doris (Burke Caputo) and attorney Anthony Caputo.[1] He graduated from Deerfield Academy in 1961, Harvard University (Bachelor of Arts, 1965), and Harvard Business School (Master of Business Administration, 1967).[2] Caputo began his career in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, who at the time was Robert McNamara, where the Systems Analysis Unit hired recent business school graduates to work on policy issues.[1] While working at the Defense Department, Caputo attended law school at night.[2] In 1971, he received his J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center.[2]

In 1969 Caputo was one of the four co-founders and a board member and principal stockholder of ICF, a management consulting company. Initially focusing on energy and health care issues, the company later expanded into environmental businesses and began to build engineering capabilities. In 1988 ICF acquired Kaiser Engineers, which had originated as the engineering unit of Henry J. Kaiser's industrial empire and grew to rank among the largest engineering and construction companies in the world. The following year (1989) the combined company went public and eventually traded stock on the New York Stock Exchange. The company operated as "ICF Kaiser," with the consulting unit remaining largely intact.[3]

In 1999, ICF Consulting ended its decade-long affiliation with Kaiser Engineers through a leveraged buyout, financed in part by the CM Equity Partners, LP, an equity investment firm based in New York City. In 2006, ICF Consulting was renamed ICF International. The firm completed an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and became a publicly traded firm listed on the NASDAQ exchange as ICFI.[4]

Start of career
Bruce F Caputo

Caputo was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1972, representing a district in Yonkers.[2] He was re-elected in 1974, and sat in the 180th and 181st New York State Legislatures.[2] Caputo served on the Assembly Ways and Means, Housing and Insurance committees.

In 1976, Republican Congressman Peter A. Peyser gave up his seat to challenge incumbent U.S. Senator James L. Buckley for the Republican Senate nomination. Caputo ran for the congressional seat and won, defeating Democratic Assemblyman J. Edward Meyer, a former Republican who became a Democrat in 1973. Caputo's district included Yonkers, three towns in lower Westchester and the Woodlawn, Wakefield, Williamsbridge, Edenwald, Eastchester and Baychester sections of the Bronx. Caputo served on the House Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs committee and the Ethics committee.

In 1978, Perry Duryea, the Republican leader of the State Assembly and front runner for the Republican nomination for governor, picked Caputo as his running mate for lieutenant governor.[5] The Republican state convention nominated them in the fall of 1978.[5] Incumbent Governor Hugh L. Carey, a Democrat, and his running mate Mario Cuomo, defeated the Duryea-Caputo ticket in the November general election.[5]

Following the 1978 elections Caputo served out his term in Congress and joined the management consulting firm Booz-Allen Hamilton in its mergers and acquisitions and banking departments.

U.S. Senate campaigns

1980 U.S. Senate race

In 1980, Caputo entered the Republican primary against U.S. Senator Jacob Javits, but withdrew after his main rival on the right, Alfonse D'Amato, secured the nomination of the Conservative party.[6] D'Amato defeated Javits in the Republican primary and won the general election in the fall. In his autobiography, "Power, Politics, and Pasta: The World According to Senator Al D'Amato" (1995), D'Amato bitterly criticized Caputo.

In 1981, President Reagan nominated Caputo as an alternate United States delegate to the United Nations General Assembly. The Senate confirmed the nomination and Caputo began serving in the spring of that year.

1982 U.S. Senate race

Early in 1982, Caputo announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who was seeking a second term.[7] Considered a young rising star in the Republican Party, Caputo raised money around the country but withdrew from the race after failing to get the support of key Republican and Conservative Party county leaders.[7]

At the start of his campaign, several news outlets reported that Caputo claimed to have served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army in the 1960s.[8][9] In fact, he actually served at the Pentagon in a civilian capacity, a detail which was unearthed and provided to reporters by Moynihan staffer Tim Russert.[10][11] Caputo ultimately withdrew from the race. Later that year, Assemblywoman Florence M. Sullivan of Brooklyn won the Republican primary; she was defeated by Moynihan in the general election.[11][12]

After leaving politics, Caputo worked as a lawyer and private investor in real estate and early stage privately held companies.

Personal life

Caputo is married to Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo, the first woman pilot for a major airline.[13] They have two children and reside in Manhattan.[14][15]

References
  1. Burks, Edward C. (June 19, 1977). "Caputo, a Freshman, Jogs the Old Guard". The New York Times. New York, NY. p. Section 22, page 1 – via TimesMachine.
  2. United States Congress (2005). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 784. ISBN 978-0-16-073176-1 – via Google Books.
  3. Redmond, Andrea; Crisafulli, Patricia (2010). Comebacks: Powerful Lessons from Leaders Who Endured Setbacks and Recaptured Success on Their Teams. San Francisco, CA: Jossy–Bass. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-4705-8375-3 – via Google Books.
  4. "ICF International, Inc. Common Stock (ICFI)". NASDAQ.com. New York, NY: NASDAQ Stock Market. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  5. Feron, James (November 12, 1978). "Caputo: Politics In Limbo". The New York Times. New York, NY. p. Section 22, page 1 – via TimesMachine.
  6. New York Magazine, May 25, 1981, "Caputo Copies D'Amato Act" in PDF through Google Books
  7. Roberts, Sam (March 9, 1982). "Caputo Quits Senate Race". Daily News. New York, NY. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Ferraro, Susan (April 24, 1977). "The Winning Ways of Congressman Caputo". Daily News Sunday Magazine. New York, NY. pp. 12–13, 17, 44 – via Newspapers.com. He won, and got a direct commission (i.e., no OCS) as a second lieutenant assigned to then Defense Secretary Robert McNamara.
  9. Wald, Martin (February 18, 1982). "Caputo: Never in Army, never a lieutenant". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY. Associated Press. p. 6A – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Headliners: Caputo's Army". The New York Times. New York, NY. February 21, 1982. p. Section 4, page 9 – via TimesMachine.
  11. Barone, Michael (June 13, 2008). "Tim Russert, 1950-2008: Gone Much Too Soon". U.S. News & World Report. New York, NY: U.S. News & World Report, L.P.
  12. NYState63 (May 27, 2016). "Race Details: New York U.S. Senate, 1982". Our Campaigns.com. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  13. Laneri, Raquel (March 22, 2017). "First female airline pilot took special 'strength tests' to get hired". New York Post. New York, NY.
  14. Fabio, Michelle (Spring 2018). "Flying High, Well Grounded: Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo First Woman Pilot for a Major U.S. Airline" (PDF). Ambassador Magazine. Washington, DC: National Italian American Federation. p. 31.
  15. Kurtz, Annalyn (August 16, 2016). "When the Pilot Is a Mom: Accommodating New Motherhood at 30,000 Feet". The New York Times. New York, NY. p. B-1.
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