27 Facts About Stephen Solarz

Stephen Joshua Solarz was an American educator and politician who served as a United States representative from New York until his political career ended in the wake of the House banking scandal in 1992.

In 1966, Stephen Solarz was the campaign manager for an anti-war campaign, for a US House seat.

Stephen Solarz used that experience to make a successful run for the State Assembly two years later.

Stephen Solarz was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1969 to 1974, sitting in the 178th, 179th and 180th New York State Legislatures.

That was not unexpected since Stephen Solarz had run mostly for improved name recognition and to make political and fundraising contacts.

In September 1974, Solarz defeated incumbent Democrat Bertram L Podell in the Democratic primary for the New York 13th District.

In November 1974, Stephen Solarz was elected to the US House of Representatives, to the 94th Congress, beginning January 3,1975.

Stephen Solarz was re-elected eight more times, serving until January 3,1993.

On July 18,1980, Stephen Solarz became the first American public official to visit North Korea since the end of the Korean War, and the first to meet with Kim Il-sung.

Stephen Solarz is remembered for his leadership on the Philippines.

Stephen Solarz left Manila just as Benigno S Aquino Jr.

Shortly after Marcos left for exile in Hawaii, Stephen Solarz visited one of his opulent palaces and publicized Imelda Marcos's massive shoe collection.

Stephen Solarz had strong ties to India and was held in high esteem by Indian leaders across the political spectrum.

Stephen Solarz's motivations were partly driven by the presence of prosperous Indian Americans in his district.

Stephen Solarz visited India dozens of times, during and after his term in Congress and once received a standing ovation on the floor of the Indian Parliament, as has happened to only a few Westerners, such as Presidents Bill Clinton and John F Kennedy.

Stephen Solarz received bipartisan credit for having helped set the stage for substantial improvements in US-India relations since the 1990s.

In 1982 and 1986, Stephen Solarz met with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Stephen Solarz was defeated in the Democratic primary by Nydia Velazquez.

In 1993, Stephen Solarz was appointed as chairman of the US government-funded Central Asian-American Enterprise Fund by President Bill Clinton to bring private sector development to Central Asia.

In 1994, Stephen Solarz was a leading candidate to be nominated as the United States Ambassador to India.

However, Stephen Solarz was forced to withdraw from consideration after scrutiny of his efforts to obtain a visa for Albert Yeung, a Hong Kong businessman with a criminal record.

From 1994 to his death, Stephen Solarz remained active with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs.

Stephen Solarz was a member of the Intellibridge Expert Network and of the executive committee of the International Crisis Group.

Stephen Solarz served on the board of directors of the National Endowment for Democracy from 1992 to 2001, and was awarded its Democracy Service Medal on retirement.

Stephen Solarz was a founding member of the board of directors of the Hollings Center for International Dialogue, helping to establish the organization's presence in Turkey, and served until his death in 2010.

Stephen Solarz died of esophageal cancer on November 29,2010, in Washington, DC, at the age of 70.

Stephen Solarz was buried at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC.