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Henry Cianfrani

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Henry J. Cianfrani
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate
from the 1st district
In office
January 2, 1967 – December 15, 1977[1]
Preceded byAnthony J. DiSilvestro
Succeeded byVince Fumo
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the Philadelphia County district
In office
January 1, 1963 – November 30, 1966
Personal details
BornMarch 19, 1923
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJuly 3, 2002(2002-07-03) (aged 79)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Rita Ann Marano, Laura Foreman
Children4 daughters, Mary Ellen Miller, Elvira Marano, Maria Schaffer, Gabrielle Cianfrani
OccupationState Senator, Lobbyist

Henry J. "Buddy" Cianfrani (March 19, 1923 – July 3, 2002) was the Pennsylvania state senator for the first district.

Prior to holding elective office, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II where he earned the Purple Heart and the Silver Star.

He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1956 and 1960. He was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1963, where he served until his election to the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1966.[2][3] He eventually attained the chairmanship of the powerful Appropriations Committee from which position he worked closely with Speaker of the House Herbert Fineman to appropriate money to Philadelphia.[4]

In 1977, Cianfrani was convicted on federal charges of racketeering and mail fraud for padding his Senate payroll. His case was prosecuted in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by U.S. Attorney David W. Marston, who was later removed from the position by U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Cianfrani was sentenced to five years in federal prison. After serving for twenty-seven months, he was released in 1980.[5]

In the middle 1970s, he began dating political reporter Laura Foreman of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The two moved in together and she reportedly accepted money and gifts from him while she was still reporting on him for her newspaper.[6][4][7] After the affair became public in 1977 she was fired by her employer, The New York Times. She and Cianfrani married in 1980 after his divorce from his first wife was finalized and he was released from federal prison.

Years after his release, his political career enjoyed a resurgence. In 1988 Cianfrani won back his old position as Philadelphia ward leader and regained a measure of clout within Philadelphia politics.[4] He was considered a mentor to many Philadelphia politicians, including Congressman Bob Brady and Senator Vince Fumo.

Cianfrani died of a stroke in Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 3, 2002.

References

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  1. ^ Cox, Harold (2004). "Pennsylvania Senate - 1977-1978" (PDF). Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
  2. ^ Cox, Harold (2004). ""House Members "C"". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
  3. ^ Cox, Harold (2004). ""Senate Members "C"". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
  4. ^ a b c The Associated Press (2002-07-04). "Henry J. Cianfrani, 79, Fixture In South Philadelphia Politics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  5. ^ The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Churchman to Ciro
  6. ^ Smith, Ron F. 2003. Groping for Ethics in Journalism. 5th ed. Blackwell. pp. 168–169. ISBN 0-8138-1088-4
  7. ^ Bartlett, Donald L. and James B. Steele. "The Full Story of Cianfrani and the Reporter". Philadelphia Inquirer, October 16, 1977
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