1. Amadeo Henry "Meade" Esposito was an American politician who was a Brooklyn Democratic leader and political boss.
26 Facts About Meade Esposito
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Meade Esposito was a vociferous supporter of New York City's first LGBT rights bill.
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Meade Esposito was respected and feared for his street-style management, intimidation tactics and criminal connections.
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Meade Esposito became known for running politics similar to a junket.
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Amadeo "Meade" Esposito was born in the subsection of Ocean Hill, Brooklyn in 1907.
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Meade Esposito was the son of Giuseppe and Felicia Esposito.
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Meade Esposito's grandfather came to America from Italy in 1885.
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Meade Esposito's father followed his grandfather in 1900 and arrived in America at the age of 18.
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Meade Esposito lived with his two sisters above the saloon and claimed to have started working as a child.
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Meade Esposito briefly attended Park Slope's Manual Training High School, now known as the John Jay Educational Campus, but dropped out at the age of 14.
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Meade Esposito married at the age of 18 and became a father by 19.
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At the age of 18, Meade Esposito "got a couple of dozen of the guys together" and started the Progressive Democratic Club on Fulton Street.
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Meade Esposito met many of his future connections through the latter business.
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Meade Esposito cultivated ethnic and community ties that encouraged more Italian Americans to move into politics.
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Meade Esposito launched the political career of prominent Brownsville-based haberdasher Abe Stark and assisted in electing longtime New York State Assembly member Alfred Lama, best known for co-founding the Mitchell-Lama Housing Program.
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Meade Esposito grew up alongside many of these figures, who continued to retain him during his years as a bail bondsman.
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In 1972, during a federal investigation into the Lucchese crime family, Meade Esposito's name was frequently mentioned in a bugged junkyard trailer used as an office by Paul Vario.
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Nevertheless, Meade Esposito continued to retain significant surreptitious influence in New York City politics after his retirement.
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Later in 1985, Meade Esposito was recorded speaking with Mario Biaggi, claiming to have "made" 42 judges in Brooklyn.
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Meade Esposito was put on probation, sentenced to community service and fined $500,000.
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In 1989, Meade Esposito faced additional charges of bribery and tax fraud; however a federal judge determined Meade Esposito was too sick and elderly to maintain a proper defense.
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Meade Esposito was known for his "blunt, warm and earthy" nature.
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Meade Esposito frequently smoked cigars and kept a baseball bat under his desk to symbolically enforce power.
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At the height of his power, Meade Esposito primarily resided at 2600 National Drive, a waterfront property in Mill Basin.
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The elder Meade Esposito usually prepared homemade meatballs for her guests.
26.
Meade Esposito died of a blood infection at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset on September 3,1993.