Andrew Cuomo
A political scion whose aggressive leadership during crisis was ultimately eclipsed by a cascade of personal scandal.
Born 1957 (age 69)·American lawyer and politician·Birthday: December 6·Baby Boomers
Biography
Andrew Cuomo was born into New York's foremost political dynasty, the son of the revered Governor Mario Cuomo. He cut his teeth in hardball politics as an advisor to his father before serving as U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Bill Clinton. His own run for governor in 2010 was a return to the family business, and he governed with a combative, results-oriented style that often clashed with legislators. His national profile soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, where his daily, data-heavy briefings presented an image of steady command contrasting with federal chaos. This moment of acclaim was short-lived. In 2021, a damning report from the state attorney general detailed multiple allegations of sexual harassment by former staffers, leading to impeachment proceedings and his resignation. His later attempt at a political comeback, running for New York City mayor as an independent, failed to gain traction.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Andrew was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andrew Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Andrew's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Oversaw the passage of the Marriage Equality Act in 2011, legalizing same-sex marriage in New York.
- Implemented a statewide $15 minimum wage, a key progressive policy achievement.
- Authored and championed the SAFE Act, one of the nation's strictest gun control laws, in 2013.
- Won an Emmy Award for his daily televised briefings during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Did You Know?
He is the brother of CNN anchor Chris Cuomo.
He wrote a book about his pandemic leadership, 'American Crisis,' which was published just weeks before the harassment scandal erupted.
He once worked as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan under Robert Morgenthau.
His 2014 memoir was titled 'All Things Possible: Setbacks and Success in Politics and Life.'
““You can’t be a leader from the rear. You have to be out front.””
