Birth Name: Geraldine Anne Ferraro
Date of Birth: August 26, 1935
Place of Birth: Newburgh, New York
Date of Death: March 26, 2011
Place of Death: Boston, Massachusetts
Geraldine Ferraro was an American attorney and politician. She was the Democratic Party’s nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1984. Geraldine was the first woman nominated for the Vice Presidency by a major American political party.
Geraldine was a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York, from January 3, 1979 to January 3, 1985, as well as United States Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, from 1993 to 1996.
Geraldine was the daughter of Antonetta L. (Corrieri) and Dominick Ferraro. Her father was an Italian immigrant, from Marcianise, Campania. Her mother was born in New York, to Italian parents.
Geraldine’s paternal grandparents were Carlo Ferraro and Maria Senese.
Geraldine’s maternal grandparents were Domenico Corrieri and Maria Giuseppa “Josephine” Caputo (the daughter of Anna Monaco).
Several people of significant Italian heritage have run plausible or semi-plausible campaigns for a major political party’s nomination for President of the United States. Of these candidates, four have won a major party’s caucus, primary, and/or nominating ballot. The four are:
*Al Smith (who was the Democratic Party’s nominee for President of the United States in 1928, and was also a candidate for the 1924 and 1932 Democratic nominations for President; Smith’s paternal grandfather was Italian)
*Michael DiSalle (1960; Democratic; won 1 state, Ohio)
*Rick Santorum (2012; Republican; won 11 contests; Santorum also sought the 2016 Republican nomination; Santorum is of three quarters Italian descent)
*Ted Cruz (2016; Republican, won 11 contests; Cruz’s maternal great-grandfather was Italian)
Other people of significant Italian heritage who have mounted major campaigns for President of the United States are:
*John A. Volpe (who sought the 1968 Republican nomination)
*James Traficant (who sought the 1988 Democratic nomination; Traficant’s father was of Italian descent)
*Rudy Giuliani (who sought the 2008 Republican nomination)
*Tom Tancredo (who sought the 2008 Republican nomination)
*Chris Christie (who sought the 2016 Republican nomination; Christie’s mother was of Italian descent)
*George Pataki (who sought the 2016 Republican nomination; Pataki’s maternal grandfather was Italian)