G. Oliver Koppell

Gabriel Oliver Koppell
Member of the New York City Council from the 11th District
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2002
Preceded by	June Eisland
Constituency	Bronx: Kingsbridge, Riverdale, Woodlawn, Norwood, parts of Bedford Park, Wakefield and Bronx Park East.
61st New York State Attorney General
In office January 1994 – December 1994
Governor	Mario Cuomo
Preceded by	Robert Abrams
Succeeded by	Dennis Vacco
Personal details
Born	December 15, 1940 (1940-12-15) (age 70) New York City
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Lorraine Coyle Koppell
Residence	Bronx, New York
Alma mater	Harvard College Harvard Law School
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Jewish
Website	NYC Council: District 11

G. Oliver Koppell (born December 15, 1940 in the Bronx, New York) is a member of the New York City Council from District 11 in the Borough of The Bronx, covering the neighborhoods of Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Woodlawn, Van Cortlandt Village, Norwood, and Bedford Park. He was elected to the Council in 2001, and recently defeated Ari Hoffnung by a 3 to 1 margin in 2005. On September 15, 2009, Oliver Koppell defeated challenger, Tony Perez Casino winning 65% of the vote.

Prior to his term in the City Council, he had been a member of the New York State Assembly in from 1970 to 1994. While in the Assembly, he served as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and passed the New York bottle bill. In 1981, Koppell ran for Bronx Borough President, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by the incumbent, Stanley Simon.

In 1993, Koppell was elected by the New York State Legislature to fill the unexpired term of New York State Attorney General Robert Abrams, who resigned. As attorney general, Koppell successfully brought a lawsuit to allow drivers under the age of 25 to obtain rental cars in the State of New York. In 1994, Koppell sought a full term as attorney general, but lost to Judge Karen Burstein in the Democratic Primary. He finished second, ahead of Brooklyn District Attorney Charles "Joe" Hynes and prosecutor Eliot Spitzer. In 1998, he again sought the Democratic nomination for state attorney general. He finished third in the primary, behind Spitzer, who won, and State Sen. Catherine Abate. Koppell finished ahead of Charles Davis, a former staffer for former Gov. Mario Cuomo.

Koppell was born in New York City. His parents, refugees from Nazi Germany, moved to the Bronx when Oliver was two. Koppell attended Bronx elementary schools, the Bronx High School of Science, Harvard College and Harvard Law School, from which he graduated cum laude.^[1]

Koppell's first marriage ended in divorce. He is now married to Lorraine Coyle Koppell, an attorney who narrowly lost a race for the New York State Senate in 2000 to Guy Velella. He has three children, all of whom were raised in the Bronx and attended Bronx public schools, and five grandchildren.^[1] Koppell is active in the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club. He has been a resident of Fieldston in the Bronx.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Official Biography
2. ^ Jackson, Nancy Beth. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Fieldston; A Leafy Enclave in the Hills of the Bronx", The New York Times, February 17, 2002. Accessed May 3, 2008. "TODAY, residents include United Nations ambassadors from Benin and Guinea; Jennifer J. Raab, president of Hunter College and former head of the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission; and G. Oliver Koppell, the former New York attorney general newly elected to the City Council."

External links

• New York City Council: District 11 – G. Oliver Koppell
• Searchlight 2002-District 11
• Koppell Raises Money Despite Safe Seat
• Candidates Are Attacked Over Tobacco Money
• Primary Ahead in Attorney General Race
• WTC Plans Got Trashed

New York Assembly
Preceded by Benjamin Altman	New York State Assembly, 84th District 1970–1982	Succeeded by Gordon Burrows
Preceded by Guy Velella	New York State Assembly, 80th District 1983–1992	Succeeded by George Friedman
Preceded by Stephen B. Kaufman	New York State Assembly, 81st District 1993	Succeeded by Jeffrey Dinowitz
Political offices
Preceded by June Eisland	New York City Council, 11th District 2002–present	Incumbent
Legal offices
Preceded by Robert Abrams	New York State Attorney General 1994	Succeeded by Dennis Vacco

Persondata
Name	Koppell, G Oliver
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	December 15, 1940
Place of birth	New York City
Date of death
Place of death