Bruce Faulkner Caputo

Who is Bruce Faulkner Caputo?

Bruce F. Caputo was a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.

Born in New York City, he graduated from Deerfield Academy in 1961, Harvard University in 1965, Harvard Business School in 1967 and Georgetown Law School in 1971. He was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1972, representing a district in lower Westchester County. He was re-elected in 1974, a tough year for Republicans in New York State and around the county. In 1976, liberal Republican Congressman Peter A. Peyser gave up his seat to challenge conservative U.S. Senator James L. Buckley for the Republican nomination. Caputo ran for the congressional seat and won, narrowly defeating Democratic Assemblyman J. Edward Meyer, a former Republican who became a Democrat in 1973. Caputo's district included lower Westchester and a tiny portion of the Bronx. Caputo served only one term in Congress. In 1978, Perry Duryea, the Republican nominee for governor, picked Caputo, as his running mate for lieutenant governor. Governor Hugh L. Carey, a Democrat who was elected in 1974, narrowly won re-election. Peyser, who became a Democrat, won his old seat back the same year.

In 1980, Caputo attempted to run against liberal Republican U.S. Senator Jacob Javits, but withdrew from the Republican primary after his main rival on the right, Alfonse D'Amato, secured the crucial nominations of the Conservative and Right to Life parties. D'Amato defeated Javits in the Republican primary and won the general election in the fall. In his autobiography, "Power, Politics, and Pasta: The World According to Senator Al D'Amato", D'Amato bitterly criticized Caputo.