[citation needed] From 1961-64, Green was the chief counsel to the New York Joint Legislative Committee on Housing and Urban Development.

In 1968 he ran for Congress, but lost the Republican nomination to Whitney North Seymour Jr., who went on to be defeated by Democrat Ed Koch.,[3] Afterwards he was the New York City director of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

[citation needed] However, the East Side-based district, long considered a bastion of moderate Republicans, had been trending Democratic at the national level for some time.

As a result, he narrowly lost his re-election bid that year to New York City Councilwoman Carolyn Maloney.

[5] Green sought the Republican nomination for Governor of New York in 1994, but was defeated by State Senator George Pataki.