“A lot of my stories about the old days, they're delicious and funny. But every time I recall the early days, it's painful. With every anecdote, it's painful because you're summoning up the terribly, terribly difficult life of my parents. And it's painful because I didn't realize at the time how hard it was for them.”

American lawyer and politician

Mario Cuomo was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who lived from 1932 to 2015. He served as the 52nd governor of New York from 1983 to 1995, after earlier holding statewide office as lieutenant governor and secretary of state. Cuomo became a prominent public voice in New York politics, known for his long tenure in office and for the way he spoke about public life. He is also known as the father of Andrew Cuomo, a former governor of New York, and broadcaster Chris Cuomo.