A timeline of Ed Koch's life
Former Mayor Ed Koch, the combative, acid-tongued politician who rescued the city from near-financial ruin during a three-term City Hall run in which he embodied New York chutzpah for the rest of the world, died Friday. He was 88. Credit: Getty Images
DEC. 12, 1924 - Born in Crotona Park East in the Bronx
1931 - Family moved to Newark, N.J.
1941 - Graduated from South Side High School in Newark
1941 - Family moved to Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn
1943 Drafted into the U.S. Army and fought in the infantry in France
1946 - Koch, a sergeant, was honorably discharged
1948 - Graduated from New York University School of Law
1949 - Admitted to the New York bar
1956 - Moved to Greenwich Village and joined the Village Independent Democrats, a club opposed to Carmine De Sapio and the Manhattan Democratic organization known as Tammany Hall
1963 - Defeated Carmine De Sapio in Greenwich Village district leader primary
1963 - Became founding partner of Koch, Lankenau, Schwartz & Kovner
1965 - In a rematch, defeated Carmine De Sapio in Greenwich Village district leader primary
1966 - Elected to City Council
JAN. 3 1969 - Sworn in as Democratic Representative of Manhattan's 17th Congressional District
1973 - Became a representative of 18th congressional district after redistricting
1978 - Elected mayor after running on law and order platform
1981 - In an interview with Playboy magazine, he ridiculed the suburbs. "Have you ever lived in the suburbs? It's sterile." The comment helped to torpedo his run for governor
JUNE 15, 1981 - Landed on the cover of Time magazine
1982 - Began his second term with a balanced the city budget
1982 - Defeated by Mario M. Cuomo in a primary for governor
1984 - Published his first memoir, "Mayor," which went on to become an Off-Broadway musical
1985 - Supported the Health Department's decision to shut down gay bathhouses
1986 - Began his third term
1987 - Koch suffered a minor stroke as his administration was rocked by corruption scandals
1988 - On April Fools' Day, he said Jews would be "crazy" to vote for Jesse Jackson
1989 - Koch was defeated in Democratic primary by David Dinkins
1997 - Began a two-year run as judge on the TV show "The People's Court"
1999 - Published "Giuliani: Nasty Man," a compilation of Daily News columns.
1999 - Arrested along with others in protests over police shooting of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed immigrant from Guinea
1999-2000 - Wrote a weekly column for New York Newsday. "If you agree with me on eight columns out of 12, I'll be more than satisfied. If you agree with me on 12 out of 12, see a psychiatrist," Koch told readers in his introductory column.
2008 - Announced he'll be buried at Trinity Church Cemetery. "I don't want to leave Manhattan, even when I'm gone," Koch told The Associated Press. "This is my home. The thought of having to go to New Jersey was so distressing to me."
2008 - Endorsed Barack Obama for president, saying he opposed Sarah Palin as vice president. "She's scary," he said.
2009 - Began his online movie review show, "Mayor at the Movies."
June 2009 - Underwent quadruple bypass surgery and replacement of his aortic valve
2010 - Lead a coalition, New York Uprising, against what he said was a "dysfunctional" New York State Legislature
Feb. 1, 2013 - A film, "Koch," about his life and career, opened in theaters
'We have to do better' Newsday high school sports editor Gregg Sarra talks about a bench-clearing, parent-involved incident at a Half Hollow Hills West basketball game.
'We have to do better' Newsday high school sports editor Gregg Sarra talks about a bench-clearing, parent-involved incident at a Half Hollow Hills West basketball game.
