Misplaced Pages

Bruce F. Caputo
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 23rd district
In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1979
Preceded by	Peter A. Peyser
Succeeded by	Peter A. Peyser
Member of the New York State Assembly from the 87th district
In office January 1, 1973 – December 31, 1976
Preceded by	Thomas J. McInerney
Succeeded by	Thomas J. McInerney
Personal details
Born	Bruce Faulkner Caputo (1943-08-07) August 7, 1943 (age 81) New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Bonnie Caputo
Education	Harvard University (BA, MBA) Georgetown University (JD)

Bruce Faulkner Caputo (born August 7, 1943) is an American lawyer and politician from New York. He is most notable for his service as a member of the New York State Assembly (1973 to 1976) and the United States House of Representatives (1977 to 1979).

Early life

Caputo was born in New York City on August 7, 1943, the son of Doris (Burke Caputo) and attorney Anthony Caputo. He graduated from Deerfield Academy in 1961, Harvard University (Bachelor of Arts, 1965), and Harvard Business School (Master of Business Administration, 1967). Caputo began his career in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, who at the time was Robert McNamara, where the Systems Analysis Unit hired recent business school graduates to work on policy issues. While working at the Defense Department, Caputo attended law school at night. In 1971, he received his J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Early Career

In 1969 Caputo was one of the four co-founders and a board member and principal stockholder of ICF, a management consulting company. Initially focusing on energy and health care issues, the company later expanded into environmental businesses and began to build engineering capabilities. In 1988 ICF acquired Kaiser Engineers, which had originated as the engineering unit of Henry J. Kaiser's industrial empire and grew to rank among the largest engineering and construction companies in the world. The following year (1989) the combined company went public and eventually traded stock on the New York Stock Exchange. The company operated as "ICF Kaiser," with the consulting unit remaining largely intact.

In 1999, ICF Consulting ended its decade-long affiliation with Kaiser Engineers through a leveraged buyout, financed in part by the CM Equity Partners, LP, an equity investment firm based in New York City. In 2006, ICF Consulting was renamed ICF International. The firm completed an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and became a publicly traded firm listed on the NASDAQ exchange as ICFI.

Subsequent Career

Caputo was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1972, representing a district in Yonkers. He was re-elected in 1974, and sat in the 180th and 181st New York State Legislatures. Caputo served on the Assembly Ways and Means, Housing and Insurance committees.

In 1976, Republican Congressman Peter A. Peyser gave up his seat to challenge incumbent U.S. Senator James L. Buckley for the Republican Senate nomination. Caputo ran for the congressional seat and won, defeating Democratic Assemblyman J. Edward Meyer, a former Republican who became a Democrat in 1973. Caputo's district included Yonkers, three towns in lower Westchester and the Woodlawn, Wakefield, Williamsbridge, Edenwald, Eastchester and Baychester sections of the Bronx. Caputo served on the House Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs committee and the Ethics committee.

In 1978, Perry Duryea, the Republican leader of the State Assembly and front runner for the Republican nomination for governor, picked Caputo as his running mate for lieutenant governor. The Republican state convention nominated them in the fall of 1978. Incumbent Governor Hugh L. Carey, a Democrat, and his running mate Mario Cuomo, defeated the Duryea-Caputo ticket in the November general election.

Following the 1978 elections Caputo served out his term in Congress and joined the management consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton in its mergers and acquisitions and banking departments.

In 1980, Caputo entered the Republican primary against U.S. Senator Jacob Javits, but withdrew after his main rival on the right, Alfonse D'Amato, secured the nomination of the Conservative party. D'Amato defeated Javits in the Republican primary and won the general election in the fall. In his autobiography, "Power, Politics, and Pasta: The World According to Senator Al D'Amato" (1995), D'Amato bitterly criticized Caputo. In 1981, President Reagan nominated Caputo as an alternate United States delegate to the United Nations General Assembly. The Senate confirmed the nomination and Caputo began serving in the spring of that year.

Early in 1982, Caputo announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who was seeking a second term. Though he was considered a rising star in the Republican Party, and he raised money from around the country, Caputo ended his campaign after allegations emerged that he had lied about claiming to have been a lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and falsely claimed to have been a draftee. Fallout led to him failing to get the support of key Republican and Conservative Party county leaders, and he withdrew from the race.

After leaving politics, Caputo worked as a lawyer and private investor in real estate and early stage privately held companies.

Personal life

Caputo is married to Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo, the first woman pilot for a major airline. They have two children and reside in Manhattan.

References

1. ^ Burks, Edward C. (June 19, 1977). "Caputo, a Freshman, Jogs the Old Guard". The New York Times. New York, NY. p. Section 22, page 1 – via TimesMachine.
2. ^ United States Congress (2005). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 784. ISBN 978-0-16-073176-1 – via Google Books.
3. Redmond, Andrea; Crisafulli, Patricia (2010). Comebacks: Powerful Lessons from Leaders Who Endured Setbacks and Recaptured Success on Their Teams. San Francisco, CA: Jossy–Bass. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-4705-8375-3 – via Google Books.
4. "ICF International, Inc. Common Stock (ICFI)". NASDAQ.com. New York, NY: NASDAQ Stock Market. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
5. ^ Feron, James (November 12, 1978). "Caputo: Politics In Limbo". The New York Times. New York, NY. p. Section 22, page 1 – via TimesMachine.
6. New York Magazine, May 25, 1981, "Caputo Copies D'Amato Act" in PDF through Google Books
7. ^ Roberts, Sam (March 9, 1982). "Caputo Quits Senate Race". Daily News. New York, NY. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Caputo Asserts Army Remark Was A Mistake". The New York Times. New York, NY. February 23, 1982. p. B2 – via TimesMachine.
9. Fabio, Michelle (Spring 2018). "Flying High, Well Grounded: Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo First Woman Pilot for a Major U.S. Airline" (PDF). Ambassador Magazine. Washington, DC: National Italian American Federation. p. 31.
10. Kurtz, Annalyn (August 16, 2016). "When the Pilot Is a Mom: Accommodating New Motherhood at 30,000 Feet". The New York Times. New York, NY. p. B-1.

External links

• United States Congress. "Bruce F. Caputo (id: C000137)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

• 1943 births
• Living people
• Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly
• Deerfield Academy alumni
• Georgetown University Law Center alumni
• Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)
• Harvard Business School alumni
• 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature
• 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives