Herman Badillo (/bɑːˈdiːjoʊ/ bah-DEE-yoh,[1] Spanish: [baˈðiʝo]; August 21, 1929 – December 3, 2014)[2] was an American lawyer and politician who served as borough president of The Bronx and United States Representative, and ran for Mayor of New York City.

[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] After joining the Caribe Democratic Club in 1958, Badillo held various offices within the City and State, including Bronx Borough President in 1966.

On January 27, 1966, the last day of the 90-day review period, the board voted to revoke the landmark status, deferring to the new incumbent's view on the matter.

In 1970 Badillo was elected to the United States House of Representatives from New York's 21st District in the South Bronx, becoming the first Puerto Rican to so serve.

[7][17] In 1976 he was challenged by South Bronx Councilman Ramon Velez in a contest for the Democratic Party nomination for Congressman of the 21st District.

Some proponents of bilingual and ESL education, and opponents of English immersion, attacked Badillo for his newfound opposition to Spanish-language teaching.

Badillo unsuccessfully sought a Republican mayoral nomination in 2001, losing in a landslide vote for billionaire businessman and political neophyte Michael Bloomberg who would later prevail in that general election.

In a major public disagreement with Mayor Koch over the lack of support for his program to revitalize the South Bronx, Badillo resigned his post.

Some argue that Badillo made a major career mistake in giving up his Congressional post for this appointed position under Mayor Koch.

"[23] Badillo held a series of positions with the Giuliani administration, serving as the mayor's Special Counsel on education policy and as chairman of the board of trustees of the City University of New York.

His reference to recent Dominican Republic and Mexico immigrants as "pure Indians -- Incas and Mayans who are about, you know, five feet tall with straight hair," and never having a "tradition of education" were widely criticized, and he apologized two days later.

[2][4][7] In January 2011 Badillo joined national personal injury law firm Parker Waichman Alonso as a senior counsel in its New York office.

[28] Badillo died on December 3, 2014, at the Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan, of congestive heart failure at the age of 85.