The following is a brief story of a living legend born on May 28, 1944.
This story starts on the streets of Brooklyn, where a young boy would stand up to bullies who picked on the ‘weaker’ kids.
He excelled in high school then law school. He became chief of narcotics at the age of 29 in the office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
In 1981, he was named Associate Attorney General by President Reagan, the third highest position in the U.S. Department of Justice.
In 1983, he moved on to United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. He was relentless in providing a safer environment for all citizens by prosecuting organized crime, white-collar criminals, drug dealers and corrupt elected officials. He is a rare breed of prosecutor. There aren’t many U.S. Attorneys in history who can match his record of 4,152 convictions.
In 1993, he was elected Mayor of the City of New York. He was laser focused on reducing crime, reforming welfare, and improving the quality of life for all people. In 1997 he was re-elected Mayor, receiving a mandate from the people he served.
When he came into office there were 2000 murders a year. He successfully reduced overall crime by 56%, murder was cut by 66%, and New York City—once considered the crime capital of the country—became the safest large city in America. New York City’s law enforcement strategy has become a model for other cities around the world, particularly with its CompStat statistical accountability program, which won the 1996 Innovations in Government Award from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
When he took office, one of every seven New Yorkers were on welfare. He believed this eroded the feeling of dignity for the individual. He loved all people and he wanted everyone to feel good about themselves. He implemented the largest and most successful welfare-to-work initiative in the country, turning welfare offices into Job Centers and reduced welfare rolls by 640,000—nearly 60%. To this day, prior welfare recipients approach him and thank him for getting them jobs.
On September 11, 2001, America suffered the worst attack in its history when terrorists crashed planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Thousands of people were murdered, including hundreds of members of fire and police department. He himself, narrowly missed being murdered when the towers came down. Unlike, other public officials who would go to a bunker he ran to the scene to help his people.
He was widely praised by the nation and the world for his steadfastness during the assault on our nation. He was named “Person of the Year” by TIME magazine, knighted by the Queen of England, dubbed “Rudy the Rock” by French President Jacques Chirac, given the Margaret Thatcher award, and former first lady Nancy Reagan presented him with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Freedom Award.
In the private sector he established a professional services firm as a leader in emergency preparedness, public safety, leadership during crises, and financial management. Drawing on his experience in turning a city described as ungovernable into a city that is now a worldwide example of good government and effective management. He was recognized in Spring 2002 as “Consultant of the Year” by Consulting magazine. He traveled to over 50 countries to improve safety and security. As a practicing lawyer he defended his clients using law principles as John Adam’s did.
In 2020, scholars, MIT professors and American citizens expressed deep concern about election integrity. He noticed lawyers were not getting fair hearings in the court systems. Too many American citizens were putting their names on affidavits stating what they witnessed or experienced. Lawyers were quitting because they were getting threats, Brilliantly, he took those citizens to their respective states so their voices could be heard in front of their legislators. The legislators are responsible for election integrity. He did everything right and just. Those hearings are now a part of history, and the voices of the citizens were heard.
Who is this historic American hero? You got it, it is Rudy Giuliani.
Thank you, Rudy Giuliani, for everything you’ve done to improve the lives of everyday Americans. We thank you and all of America is thankful for your lifetime of distinguished public service.
