Edward Irving "Ed" Koch was the mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989, he made four appearances on the show.
Koch was born in Bronx, New York to a Jewish family on December 12, 1924, but spent his adult life living in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. He served as a congressman before being elected Mayor in 1977. Coincidentally, his opponent in both the 1977 Mayoral Election was future Governor Mario Cuomo, who beat Koch for the gubernatorial nomination in 1982.
Koch was a popular and lively Mayor who rode the New York City Subway and greeted commuters with his signature greeting, "How'm I doing?". He entered office when the city was going bankrupt and fixed the economy. Koch was re-elected by landslide in 1981 and 1985, but would lose re-nomination to his successor, David Dinkins, in his run for a fourth term in 1989. A local legend is that the cause of his loss was disenchantment towards Koch's views on Jesse Jackson in the 1988 Presidential Election, and the murder of Yusuf Hawkins, however Koch later stated that he lost because of longevety. On SNL, he has claimed that he was jealous of President Ronald Reagan, and that this jealousy annoys him.
Koch died on Febuary 1, 2013, of heart failure. He was 88 years old. The Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge (aka the 59th Street Bridge) is named in his honor.
Appearances[]
- October 7, 1978, presentingJohn Belushi with an award for the success of his recent movie, Animal House.
- May 14, 1983, as host.
- March 17, 1984, a cameo during the cold open of a show hosted by Billy Crystal.
- May 12, 1984, co-hosting the Season 9 finale with Crystal, Edwin Newman, Father Guido Sarducci and Betty Thomas.