Thomas Downey

Who is Thomas Downey?

Thomas Joseph Downey is an American politician and was a U.S. Representative from New York.

Downey graduated from West Islip High School, West Islip, New York, 1966, and went on to earn a B.S. from Cornell University, 1970. He attended St. John's University Law School, Brooklyn, N.Y. from 1972 to 1974, and earned a J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law in 1980. He served as Suffolk County, New York legislator from 1972 to 1974 and delegate to the Democratic National Convention, 1972. In 1974, he was elected as Democrat to the 94th United States Congress; at 25, he was the youngest member of that Congress. He was re-elected to the eight succeeding Congresses and unsuccessfully ran for reelection to the One Hundred Third United States Congress in 1992. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Downey weighed in on arms control issues, serving as an adviser to the negotiation teams for the SALT and START talks. As a member of the Budget and Ways and Means Committees, he championed welfare reform and child care legislation.

In March 1985 Downey was involved in a brief physical scuffle in the House chamber with Republican Congressman Robert Dornan of California.