Name Edward Costikyan Role Politician | Books Behind closed doors | |
 | ||
Died June 22, 2012, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, United States | ||
Edward N. Costikyan (September 24, 1924 – June 22, 2012) was a Democratic Party politician who was notable for reforming the Democratic party in New York City. He was also the author of many books and articles on varied topics of public policy and political science. He was of Armenian and Swiss descent.
Contents
- Early life and education
- Career
- Personal life
- Partial bibiolography
- Books
- Articles
- Oral history
- Personal
- References
Early life and education
Costikyan was born in Weehawken, New Jersey on September 24, 1924. By 1940, he and his family (father, Mihran Nazar Costikyan; mother, Berthe Muller Costikyan; and older brother Andrew M. Costikyan) had moved to West 122nd Street in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. His father was an oriental rug dealer of Armenian descent while his mother was a native if Switzerland. He graduated from Horace Mann School, where his mother taught, and served in World War II. He graduated from Columbia University in 1947, and Columbia Law School in 1949. He clerked for a year for Judge Harold R. Medina at the U.S. District Court.
Career
In 1951 he joined the firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, in his first position as an associate lawyer. He became a partner of that firm in 1960.
Costikyan was elected chairman of the New York County Democratic Committee in 1962, defeating Carmine DeSapio, and served two years. He was credited for removing Tammany Hall influence, thus reforming the Democratic Party and bringing it into the 20th Century.
He was Abraham Beame's campaign manager in the 1965 Mayoral campaign. He served on commissions investigating the new York City government for Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller and Mario M. Cuomo.
He dropped out of his campaign for Mayor in 1977, but instead joined the campaign of Edward I. Koch, formerly a political adversary.
For many years until his death, he served as a member of the advisory board for the Center for New York City Law at New York Law School.
Coskityan died on June 22, 2012, at the age of 87, at his daughter's home in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
Personal life
Costikyan has been married twice. His first marriage ended in divorce. In 1977, he married Barbara Heine, a freelance writer and daughter of advertising excecutive, Arthur C. Fatt in a Unitarian ceremony. He has two children from his first marriage.
Partial bibiolography
Costikyan was the author of many works on the law, public policy, and political science, including:
Books
Articles
Oral history
Personal
Costikyan was married and divorced twice, and had two children; game designer Greg Costikyan is his son.
He was a founder and conductor for the Occasional Oratorio and Orchestral Society.