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Sketches of Strength, Chapter 2 - Geraldine Ferraro Print E-mail
Written by Dr. Mel   
Friday, 13 January 2006
Article Index
Sketches of Strength, Chapter 2 - Geraldine Ferraro
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Ms. Ferraro became the first female candidate for Vice-President of the United States in 1984. But her career also included being a successful member of congress for a number of years and most recently a news commentator seen on network television. She overcame many personal obstacles to achieve her success, and now she is battling an incurable form of cancer. Yet she remains busy, active and inspirational. Geraldine Ferraro has been somebody that many admire, and some would envy. Her life has been one of tremendous accomplishment and success. After all, she was the first female vice-presidential candidate, and that followed years as an active congresswoman from New York City. In subsequent years, she had also run for the senate seat in New York. She has been a person that presidents and foreign leaders have consulted, and for several years she was a lively co-host of CNN’s Crossfire. Geraldine’s marriage to John Zaccarro turned out to be another story of success. Their marriage of more than 40 years has been loving and prosperous. Their three grown children have been successful in business, medicine and the media. Together, John and Geraldine became very wealthy, although Geraldine, herself, did begin life with at least some of the trappings of the comfortable life.

Her mother, Antonetta, immigrated to New York City at the turn of the 20th century and was very poor- but also strong and determined to make a better life for herself. She married Dominick Ferraro, who was raised in the Salerno region of Italy, and he was part of a very wealthy and educated Italian family of landowners and professionals. In Italy, Geraldine’s paternal grandfather was even called “Don Carlo.” Unlike what might be implied from the movies, in Italy the title of “Don” was reserved for someone of great accomplishment and prominence. When Dominick came to the United States, he fell in love with Antonetta, and he worked hard at establishing various businesses including a night club and a five and dime store. The new Ferraro family moved out of New York City to the Hudson Valley community of Newburgh, and when Geraldine was five years old she lived in a large home with stained glass windows, fireplaces in every room, and balconies outside the windows. Geraldine had a turreted bedroom with fifty three dolls, and a dollhouse with electric lights, and her father adored her.

Talk about the American dream! But regardless of what appears to be a storybook life, Geraldine’s world has also a turbulent and tragic side. So often, when she seemed to be on top of the world, a major personal disaster would fall upon her and her family. Sure, she had a doting and wealthy father, but he also died of a heart attack when she was just in the fourth grade. Dominick was 44 years old, and before he died, his successful nightclub was closed when he was denied a liquor license-authorities claimed that hostesses were wrongfully soliciting drinks from customers. The charges were denied, but to no avail. Dominick lost his main source of income and became a broken man in the few years before his death. Many years later, in 1984, when Geraldine was running for Vice-President, she learned, after the newspapers, that her father was also accused of running numbers, and it was on the day that he was to appear in court that he suffered a heart attack. After he died, Geraldine was devastated. She felt “orphaned and adrift,” and cried herself to sleep.

Her mother, Antonetta, now took over the responsibility of raising her family while running the five and dime, and she decided to send Geraldine to Catholic boarding school. That was in 1944 when Geraldine was nine. From then on, her youthful years became a struggle. But her mother always reminded her that her name was derived from the Italian word for iron- ferro. She might bend, but never break. Geraldine and her mother were forced to sell the house along with the five and dime and move to a small apartment in the South Bronx.

Later in life, when she had reached the pinnacle of her political career and was chosen as a vice-presidential candidate, questions immediately surfaced of her husband’s business involvements. Why doesn’t he reveal his income tax records? Does he really owe the government tens of thousands in back taxes, and did he really take over a hundred thousand dollars of a widow’s account? Is there some underworld involvement? The harsh spotlight tarnished the prospects for a historic political victory. Then, after she had picked herself up, and forged her comeback for a U.S. Senate run, more questions surfaced about her family’s business dealings. Her dedication to issues such as breast cancer care was even challenged. Geraldine lost her bid for the senate seat in 1992, but soon after, Bill Clinton called her and urged that she not give up public life. He needed her help, and she couldn’t wait to get back into the fray. In 1998, she made another run for the senate, and again, it was another very bitter defeat which pivoted on personal issues. After that defeat, Geraldine received another call- this time, not from the President, but her doctor- something was not quite right with her blood work. She needed more tests. That was when she learned that she had multiple myeloma.

Now, she was forced to fight back from the greatest setback of her life- the diagnosis of an incurable form of cancer. Yet, it seems that this diagnosis just turned out to be another opportunity for her to gather her strength, resources, and seek a victory in something that would have defeated many others.

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