Thomas J. Cuite

Thomas Joseph Cuite (March 4, 1913 – August 9, 1987) was an American politician from New York.

Biography[]

He was born on March 4, 1913, in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Thomas F. Cuite. He attended the parochial schools, and graduated from St. Francis College in 1935.^[1] Then he joined his father's real estate business. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel. He married Kathlyn Killeen, and they had two children.

Cuite was a member of the New York State Senate from 1953 to 1958, sitting in the 169th, 170th and 171st New York State Legislatures.

In November 1958, he ran for Congress in the 12th district but was defeated by the incumbent Republican Francis E. Dorn.

Cuite was a member of the New York City Council from 1960 to 1985, and was Majority Leader from 1969^[2] to 1985.^[3] Closely tied to the Catholic Church -- he was an adviser to John Cardinal O'Connor, Terence Cardinal Cook and Francis Cardinal Spellman^[4] -- he worked as majority leader with the Catholic archdiocese for a dozen years to block a vote on a proposed city law to guarantee gay rights.^[5]

Cuite died on August 9, 1987, in Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, of a heart attack.^[6]

Sources[]

^ "Women's Professional Club Hails Speaker". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
^ F. X. Smith Elected City Council Head in the New York Times on January 9, 1969 (subscription required)
^ CUITE RETIRING AFTER 16 YEARS AS COUNCIL'S MAJORITY LEADER in the New York Times on May 25, 1985
^ Saxon, Wolfgang (August 10, 1987). "Thomas Cuite Dies of a Heart Attack". The New York Times. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
^ Soffer, Jonathan M. (2010). Ed Koch and the rebuilding of New York City. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 370. ISBN 978-0-231-52090-4. OCLC 750192934.
^ THOMAS CUITE DIES OF A HEART ATTACK in the New York Times on August 10, 1987

New York State Senate
Preceded by James J. Crawford	New York State Senate 8th district 1953–1954	Succeeded by Frank D. O'Connor
Preceded by John F. Furey	New York State Senate 13th district 1955–1958	Succeeded by Frank Composto
New York City Council
Preceded by ?	New York City Council 20th district ?–1973	Succeeded by Peter Vallone, Sr.
Preceded by	Majority Leader of the New York City Council 1969–1985	Succeeded by Peter Vallone, Sr.

[1] "Women's Professional Club Hails Speaker". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Retrieved 24 December 2019.

[2] F. X. Smith Elected City Council Head in the New York Times on January 9, 1969 (subscription required)

[3] CUITE RETIRING AFTER 16 YEARS AS COUNCIL'S MAJORITY LEADER in the New York Times on May 25, 1985

[4] Saxon, Wolfgang (August 10, 1987). "Thomas Cuite Dies of a Heart Attack". The New York Times. Retrieved June 15, 2021.

[5] Soffer, Jonathan M. (2010). Ed Koch and the rebuilding of New York City. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 370. ISBN 978-0-231-52090-4. OCLC 750192934.

[6] THOMAS CUITE DIES OF A HEART ATTACK in the New York Times on August 10, 1987

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