Daniel O'Donnell (politician)
Encyclopedia
Daniel J. O'Donnell is a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly
, representing the 69th district in Manhattan, made up of the neighborhoods of Manhattan Valley
, Morningside Heights, and portions of the Upper West Side
and West Harlem.
In 2008 he was considered by New York Governor David Paterson
to fill the Senate vacancy created by the appointment of Hillary Rodham Clinton
as President Obama's Secretary of State. Paterson ultimately appointed upstate Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand
to the seat.
is his younger sister. Raised in Commack, New York
on Long Island, he attended George Washington University
for his B.A.
and received a J.D.
degree from CUNY School of Law at Queens College
.
in the 30th district, losing the Democratic primary to Eric Schneiderman
. When Assemblyman Edward C. Sullivan
announced his retirement in 2002, O'Donnell was one of eight Democrats who entered the race to succeed him. In the crowded primary election held on September 10, 2002, O'Donnell won 34 percent of the vote, twice as much as his nearest competitor. In the general election
that followed, he prevailed with 82 percent of the vote.
O'Donnell was the first openly gay man elected to the New York State Assembly and currently serves as one of five LGBT
members of the New York Legislature, alongside Assemblymembers Deborah Glick
, Micah Kellner
, Matthew Titone
and Harry Bronson
, as well as Senator Thomas Duane
. His campaigns have frequently won the backing of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
.
He ran uncontested in the 2008 and 2010 general election
s.
, a bill that would have legalized gay marriage in New York State, to passage by a vote of 85–61. Although the bill passed the Assembly and had the support of then-Governor Eliot Spitzer
, the Republican-controlled State Senate did not take up the measure. O'Donnell once again led the fight for a same-sex marriage bill in 2009, shepherding it to passage twice more, by a vote of 89–52 in May, and by a vote of 88–51 in December. O'Donnell introduced the Marriage Equality bill in the Assembly for the 2011-2012 legislative session on May 10, 2011. The Marriage Equality Act was passed by the NYS Assembly on June 15, 2011, and passed the NYS Senate and was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo
slightly before midnight Friday, June 24, 2011.
He has been interviewed in periodicals for the "Bear" community.
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
, representing the 69th district in Manhattan, made up of the neighborhoods of Manhattan Valley
Manhattan Valley
Manhattan Valley is a neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by West 110th Street to the north, Central Park West to the east, West 96th Street to the south, and Broadway to the west...
, Morningside Heights, and portions of the Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
and West Harlem.
In 2008 he was considered by New York Governor David Paterson
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
to fill the Senate vacancy created by the appointment of Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
as President Obama's Secretary of State. Paterson ultimately appointed upstate Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten Elizabeth Rutnik Gillibrand is an attorney and the junior United States Senator from the state of New York and a member of the Democratic Party...
to the seat.
Early life and education
Born in Queens, New York, O'Donnell is one of five siblings; American entertainer Rosie O'DonnellRosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
is his younger sister. Raised in Commack, New York
Commack, New York
Commack is a census-designated place that roughly corresponds to the hamlet by the same name in the towns of Huntington and Smithtown in Suffolk County, New York, United States on Long Island...
on Long Island, he attended George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
for his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and received a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from CUNY School of Law at Queens College
Queens College, City University of New York
Queens College, located in Flushing, Queens, New York City, is one of the senior colleges of the City University of New York. It is also the fifth oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning. The college's seventy seven acre campus is located in the heart of the...
.
Political career
He first ran for the legislature in 1998, making an unsuccessful bid for the New York State SenateNew York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
in the 30th district, losing the Democratic primary to Eric Schneiderman
Eric Schneiderman
Eric T. Schneiderman is the 65th and current New York Attorney General.-Early life, education, and early career:Schneiderman graduated from Amherst College in 1977 with a B.A...
. When Assemblyman Edward C. Sullivan
Edward C. Sullivan
Edward Christian "Ed" Sullivan is a Democratic Party politician from Manhattan who represented the Upper West Side's 69th district in the New York State Assembly from 1977 to 2002....
announced his retirement in 2002, O'Donnell was one of eight Democrats who entered the race to succeed him. In the crowded primary election held on September 10, 2002, O'Donnell won 34 percent of the vote, twice as much as his nearest competitor. In the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
that followed, he prevailed with 82 percent of the vote.
O'Donnell was the first openly gay man elected to the New York State Assembly and currently serves as one of five LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
members of the New York Legislature, alongside Assemblymembers Deborah Glick
Deborah Glick
Deborah J. Glick is an American politician from New York and a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly representing the 66th Assembly District in lower Manhattan....
, Micah Kellner
Micah Kellner
Micah Z. Kellner is an American politician from the state of New York. A Democrat, he serves as a member of the New York State Assembly from the 65th district, which includes Manhattan's Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island ....
, Matthew Titone
Matthew Titone
Matthew J. Titone is an American politician and lawyer from Staten Island, New York. A Democrat, he serves as a member of the New York State Assembly from the 61st District, on Staten Island's North Shore.-Early life, education, career:...
and Harry Bronson
Harry Bronson
Harry B. Bronson is an attorney and politician from Rochester, New York who serves as a member of the New York State Assembly. A former member of the Monroe County legislature, he was elected to the Assembly in 2010...
, as well as Senator Thomas Duane
Thomas Duane
Thomas K. Duane is an American politician from New York, currently serving in the New York State Senate. He was the nation's first openly HIV-positive person elected to office....
. His campaigns have frequently won the backing of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund is an American political action committee dedicated to increasing the number of openly LGBT public officials in US political life.The Victory Fund was founded in 1991...
.
He ran uncontested in the 2008 and 2010 general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
s.
Committees
In the 2011 legislative session, O'Donnell serves as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Ethics and Guidance, as well as Chair of the Subcommittee on Criminal Procedure of the Assembly Judiciary Committee. He also serves on a number of full committees, namely:- Committee on Codes
- Committee on Education
- Committee on Environmental Conservation
- Committee on Judiciary
- Committee on Oversight, Analysis and Investigation
- Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports
Legislation
On June 19, 2007 O'Donnell ushered the Marriage Equality ActMarriage Equality Act
The Marriage Equality Act is a 2011 New York State law that allows gender-neutral marriages for both same- and opposite-sex couples, while prohibiting state and local courts and governments from penalizing religious and religious-supervised institutions, their employees, or clergy for refusing to...
, a bill that would have legalized gay marriage in New York State, to passage by a vote of 85–61. Although the bill passed the Assembly and had the support of then-Governor Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
, the Republican-controlled State Senate did not take up the measure. O'Donnell once again led the fight for a same-sex marriage bill in 2009, shepherding it to passage twice more, by a vote of 89–52 in May, and by a vote of 88–51 in December. O'Donnell introduced the Marriage Equality bill in the Assembly for the 2011-2012 legislative session on May 10, 2011. The Marriage Equality Act was passed by the NYS Assembly on June 15, 2011, and passed the NYS Senate and was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo is the 56th and current Governor of New York, having assumed office on January 1, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 64th New York State Attorney General, and was the 11th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...
slightly before midnight Friday, June 24, 2011.
Personal life
O'Donnell has lived in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan with his partner, John Banta, for nearly 20 years.He has been interviewed in periodicals for the "Bear" community.