One of the city's most outspoken politicians, Ed Koch was known for his no-nonsense, colorful personality. A lifelong Democrat, he became New York's 105 mayor, a job he said he wanted for life. He died of congestive heart failure Friday morning at the age of 88. NBC's Ron Allen reports.
By Matthew DeLuca and Ian Johnston, NBC News
Former New York City Mayor Edward Irving Koch, a man as colorful as the city he helped save from financial ruin, died Friday of congestive heart failure. He was 88.
His brashness and thumbs-up confidence ? and ?How?m I doin?? greeting ? became symbols of Gotham chutzpah over his three terms at the city?s helm. And while New Yorkers did not always answer Hizzoner?s trademark question in the affirmative, Koch couldn?t have cared less as he tried to govern a city that many thought was ungovernable. He finally left City Hall in 1989.
?I?m the sort of person who will never get ulcers,? he told reporters in 1978. ?Why? Because I say exactly what I think. I?m the sort of person who might give other people ulcers.?
Reverend Al Sharpton, who locked? horns with Koch through his time as mayor, praised the man he criticized as forthright in a statement on his passing.
?He would not patronize or deceive you,? said Sharpton, an MSNBC host, remembering that his first arrest for civil disobedience was at a 1978 sit-in protesting a Koch policy. ?He said what he meant. He meant what he said. He fought for what he believed in.?
Born in the Bronx in 1924, Koch and his family soon decamped to Newark, New Jersey, where he spent his childhood. After graduating from high school at the age of 16, Koch returned to the city he loved and enrolled at the City College of New York, but his undergraduate studies were interrupted when he was drafted in 1943.
After serving as an infantryman in Europe, Koch enrolled at New York University Law School. He built up a law practice before -- inspired by Adlai Stevenson -- he entered politics to support Stevenson?s presidential campaign in 1952.
Koch?s own political career began in earnest in the early 1960s, organizing for the Democratic party in Greenwich Village on Manhattan?s west side. In 1963, he ousted Tammany Hall chief Carmine DeSapio, winning a post as a district leader.
From 1969 to 1977, Koch served as a congressman representing New York?s 17th Congressional District. He ran for mayor, and won, in 1977.
Throughout his career, Koch was known for his Bronx-flavored bon mots. ?If you agree with me on nine out of 12 issues, vote for me,? Koch once said. ?If you agree with me on 12 out of 12 issues, see a psychiatrist.?
He brought his forceful personality and attention to detail to the job, said New York City historian Fred Siegel. ?His campaign slogan was ?Why not try competence?? and he demonstrates it,? Siegel said of Koch?s first years in office. ?He really knows the budget, he?s on top of things.? Later, however, Koch ?lost interest in the details of running the city,? Siegel said.
Koch?s final term as mayor was tarnished by scandal, as a corruption scandal involving Queens Borough President Donald Manes threatened to ensnare the mayor, but never did. He lost a shot at a fourth term to the more reserved David Dinkins.
On Friday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo paid tribute to the man who won?t be leaving New York, even in death. (Koch bought one of Manhattan?s last burial plots for $20,000 in 2008.)
?No New Yorker has ? or likely ever will ? voice their love for New York City in such a passionate and outspoken manner than Ed Koch,? Cuomo said. ?Mr. Mayor was never one to shy away from taking a stand that he believed was right, no matter what the polls said or what was politically correct.?
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement that the city had lost ?an irrepressible icon, our most charismatic cheerleader and champion.?
?He was a great mayor, a great man, and a great friend. In elected office and as a private citizen, he was our most tireless, fearless, and guileless civic crusader,? he said. ?Through his tough, determined leadership and responsible fiscal stewardship, Ed helped lift the city out of its darkest days and set it on course for an incredible comeback.?
Koch died around 2 a.m. Friday after battling a variety of illnesses. He was hospitalized in September with anemia and in December with a respiratory infection, before his final hospitalization this week.
A funeral service will be held on Monday.
MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski reports that Ed Koch, the former three-term mayor of New York City, died of congestive heart failure, at the age of 88.
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