Al D'Amato

Alfonse Marcello D'Amato (born August 1, 1937) is an American attorney, lobbyist, and Republican politician who represented the state of New York in the United States Senate from 1981 to 1999. From 1995 to 1999, he chaired the Senate Banking Committee. As of 2026, he is the most recent Republican to serve New York in the U.S. Senate. D'Amato was born in Brooklyn in 1937 and raised in Island Park, New York. He attended Syracuse University, receiving a law degree, before returning to Island Park and becoming involved in local Republican politics. Rising through the ranks, he held offices at the village, town, and county levels. In 1980, D'Amato defeated four-term Republican incumbent Jacob Javits in the primary election for United States Senator. D'Amato went on to prevail in the general election, defeating Javits (who remained in the race on the Liberal Party ticket) and Democratic U.S. Representative Elizabeth Holtzman. He was re-elected in 1986 and 1992, but was defeated in 1998 by Chuck Schumer. Following his departure from the Senate, D'Amato founded Park Strategies, a lobbying firm.