Some materials from this collection are available online.
Navigate the Collection
Summary
- Abstract:
- The Serphin R. Maltese Papers document his career as a State Senator in the New York's 15th Senate District and his pre- and post-Senate service.
- Extent:
- 31.2 cubic ft.
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, Serphin R. Maltese Papers, 1935-2021. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the Maltese Papers).
Background
- Scope and Content:
This collection contains correspondence, programs, news clips, community event materials, media releases/communications materials, subject files, constiuent case materials, and a small selection of DVDs and video tapes. The majority of the materials document Senator Serphin R. Maltese's service in the New York State Senate, although some of the materials are from his pre- and post-Senate life. To review the Senator's work as Chairman of the New York State Conservative Party, see collection apap060, Conservative Party of New York State Records.
- Biographical / Historical:
Born in Corona, Queens in 1932, Serphin R. Maltese was first elected to the New York State Senate in November 1988 on the Republican, Conservative, and Right to Life Party lines. He was re-elected for 10 terms on the Republican, Conservative, and Independence Party lines. In 2008, he lost his bid for re-election and retired from elective office. He represented the 15th Senatorial District in Queens serving 320,000 constituents.
Maltese graduated from Stuyvesant High School, served in the Marine Corps Reserves, and then served in the Army 45th Infantry Division during the Korean War. After his military service, he went to Manhattan College, on an awarded Regents Scholarship and the G.I. Bill, and received a BA degree. Maltese was awarded a war service scholarship to Fordham Law School where he received his LLB and JD degrees. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1963 and admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Maltese and his wife Constance were co-founders of the New York State Conservative Party in 1962. Maltese became executive director of the New York State Conservative Party in 1971 and Chairman of the Queens Conservative Party in 1972. He was elected to the position of state chairman of the party in 1986, a position in which he served until his election as Senator, when he voluntarily relinquished that post.
Prior to his election to the State Senate, Maltese served as a Queens assistant district attorney and deputy chief of the Homicide Bureau.
In 1965, Maltese initially ran for election; an unsuccessful State Senate bid on William F. Buckley, Jr.'s mayoral ticket. In 1969, Maltese was a citywide coordinator for Senator John Marchi's mayoral bid and in 1970 he became law chairman and election law advisor to U.S. Senator James L. Buckley in his successful third party victory on the Conservative-Independent Alliance party lines. He then served as counsel to Senator Buckley and then as counsel to U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato. Maltese also served as counsel to Assemblywoman Rosemary Gunning. Maltese was elected a New York State Reagan-Bush elector in the 1980 and 1984 presidential elections. He also served as New York State Chairman of Conservatives for Ronald Reagan in 1980. He served for seven years as a member of Senator D'Amato's Federal Judicial Selection Panel. He served for more than 25 years on the National Board of Directors of the American Conservative Union.
Following Maltese's election to the State Senate in 1988, he served in a number of leadership positions. He served as chairman of the Veterans Committee; chairman of the Consumer Protection Committee; chairman of the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction; chairman of the Elections Committee; chairman of the Committee on Arts and Cultural Affairs; and chairman of the Cities Committee. In 2006, he was the only Senate Majority member from New York City on the Higher Education Committee. He also served in the Senate Leadership as vice chairman of the Majority Conference.
As a leader for governmental reform and disclosure, upon his election in November 1988, Maltese voluntarily gave up the practice of law to serve as a full time Senator. He practiced only "pro bono" and never accepted a referral, commission or fee of any kind during his 20 years in the Senate.
Maltese has been active in and honored by many community organizations. Of particular note, he has been honored by the New York State Department of Labor with the "We Will Always Remember" award for honoring the memory of the 146 immigrant victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of March 25, 1911 where his grandmother and two aunts perished. Maltese serves as president of the Triangle Fire Memorial Association.
Serphin Maltese and the former Constance Mary DelVecchio were married for 63 years at the time of her passing away in 2018. They had two daughters and four grandchildren.
- Acquisition information:
- Serphin Maltese donated materials in this collection to the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
- Processing information:
This collection was processed in 2022-2023 by Abby Cowan and Andrea Lurie. The small 2023 accession is not yet arranged or described.
- Arrangement:
The collection is organized into four series (Series 1: Pre-Senate Career, Series 2: Senate Subject Files, Series 3: Constituent Case Files, Series 4: Post-Senate Career). Series 1, 2, and 4 are arranged chronologically and Series 3 is arranged alphabetically by last name.
- Physical location:
- The materials are located onsite in the department.
Contents
Access
Using These Materials
- ACCESS:
- The archives are open to the public and anyone is welcome to visit and view the collections.
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
Access to this collection is unrestricted.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
This page may contain links to digital objects. Access to these images and the technical capacity to download them does not imply permission for re-use. Digital objects may be used freely for personal reference use, referred to, or linked to from other web sites.
Researchers do not have permission to publish or disseminate material from these collections without permission from an archivist and/or the copyright holder.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright. Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) and/or by the copyright or neighboring-rights laws of other nations. More information about U.S. Copyright is provided by the Copyright Office. Additionally, re-use may be restricted by terms of University Libraries gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks.
The Department of Special Collections and Archives is eager to hear from any copyright owners who are not properly identified so that appropriate information may be provided in the future.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, Serphin R. Maltese Papers, 1935-2021. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the Maltese Papers).