A Republican-turned-Democrat, he served in City Council and the U.S. House and as ambassador to Italy.

Philadelphia Inquirer
By Sally A. Downey and Adam Fifield
Staff Writers
Sat, Nov. 13, 2004

Thomas M. Foglietta, 75, a consummate Philadelphia politician and gentleman whose half-century career took him from City Council to Congress and, finally, Rome as U.S. ambassador, died today at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

He had been hospitalized after suffering breathing problems following elective surgery on a shoulder.

Despite the setback, family members had expected him to recover.

"It's quite a shock," said the former congressman's niece, Thea Foglietta-Silverstein. "It was totally unexpected."

An urbane, yet outgoing, approachable man known to many simply as "Tommy," Mr. Foglietta was a local icon who began his political career in 1955, when at 26 and a Republican, he became the youngest person ever elected to City Council. He believed that winning the newly created council-at-large seat could catapult him to election as the city's first Italian American mayor.

Although he never fulfilled that dream, he served in the U.S. House as a Democrat, representing Philadelphia's First District, for 17 years. He was appointed ambassador to Italy by President Bill Clinton in 1997. He served until 2000.

"He was the ultimate Philadelphian," Gov. Rendell said. "He had a lifelong love affair with the city, serving the city and its people. He just spent his whole life in public service. That's what he lived for. That's what he loved.

"Mayor Street, in a statement, said: "Thomas Foglietta's name is intertwined with the last half-century of political history in our city. . . . He was an able and affable advocate of his beloved community in South Philadelphia."

Jimmy Tayoun Sr., a former longtime city councilman who unsuccessfully challenged Mr. Foglietta in 1984 and 1986 for his House seat, today called his death "the passing of an era."

Although he twice had tried to unseat Mr. Foglietta, Tayoun praised his leadership, calling him "a strong Philadelphian."

Other public figures noted Mr. Foglietta's personal warmth and conviction.

"The thing that I remember most about him is when I ran for mayor, he looked in my eyes and said, 'If no one else, I'll be with you throughout this,'" former Mayor W. Wilson Goode Sr. said. "His brand of politics is missed in the city."

U.S. Rep. Robert Brady (D., Phila.), who now fills Mr. Foglietta's old seat in Congress, called his predecessor "a man of great dignity."

"He was always a gentleman with a kind of old-world charm," Brady said in a statement released by his office. "He served his constituents faithfully during his 40 years in public service. He will be especially remembered for his commitment to human rights."

City Council President Anna C. Verna recalled meeting Mr. Foglietta as his home in Italy.

"We went out to dinner, and it was very apparent to me the Italian people absolutely adored him," Verna said. "We went to one of those outdoor cafes, and when people saw him get out of the car, people stopped eating to applaud him.

"Mr. Foglietta served in Council for 20 years before the Republican leadership gave him the nod to run for mayor.

While waiting, he was compulsive about attending every session for his first 10 years in Council, but the minority Republicans had little legislative clout. When he got his name in the paper, it was for offbeat ideas such as a toboggan run in Fairmount Park. Instead of giving interviews on urban issues, the handsome bachelor was asked about his fondness for European-tailored suits and was photographed judging beauty contests or the annual Easter Parade.

In 1975, the Republicans finally chose Mr. Foglietta as their candidate for mayor. By then, though, the city had already elected its first Italian American mayor, Frank Rizzo, who was running for a second term.

Mr. Foglietta's hopes for victory were dashed when Charles Bowser, a black lawyer, decided to enter the race as an independent. Bowser drew the disaffected black Democrats Mr. Foglietta was counting on. Rizzo won, and Mr. Foglietta came in third behind Bowser.

In 1980, when U.S. Rep. Michael "Ozzie" Myers was convicted in the Abscam investigation, Mr. Foglietta, who was then practicing law, ran and won Myers' seat as a independent.

Mr. Foglietta then registered as a Democrat. In Washington, he received high scores from labor groups and from the Americans for Democratic Action and made it his priority to seek federal projects and dollars for his district, which included South Philadelphia, Center City and parts of North Philadelphia.

Still, he failed to introduce any dramatic legislation and rarely got his name in the news until an unusual incident in 1985.

Mr. Foglietta was part of a small American delegation that was accompanying exiled South Korean dissident Kim Dae Jung to Seoul's Kimpo Airport. Inside the terminal, 50 to 75 security police pulled Kim and his wife from the entourage and corralled them toward an elevator. The police also picked up Mr. Foglietta, who was 6-foot-1, threw him to the ground and kicked and beat him.

As congressman, Mr. Foglietta had a suite in the federal office building overlooking Independence Mall. From his window, he pointed out to visitors Independence Hall and the Bourse building, where his father once shined shoes.

Growing up, Mr. Foglietta and his friends earned nickels for directing tourists to Independence Hall and other historic sites. He grew up a few blocks south of the Independence Hall on Clymer Street, where his grandparents settled when they emigrated from Monteroduni, Italy.

His block was Italian, but the rest of the neighborhood was a mix of races and nationalities. "I went to a public grade school," he told a reporter in 1985. "It was one of the big advantages of my life, because there were lots of Jewish kids, and there were always a couple of black kids. When I played in Starr Garden [Seventh and Lombard Streets], almost every team I played on had Polish kids and Jewish kids, Italian, Irish - everybody - and we learned to live with those kids."

Mr. Foglietta graduated from Southeast Catholic High School, which is now St. John Neumann, St. Joseph's College and Temple Law School.

During his years in Washington, he kept a basement apartment. While ambassador he lived in a villa overlooking seven acres of garden and learned to speak fluent Italian.

"People think it's cocktail parties and balls," he once said about his experience as ambassador. Nothing could be further from the truth, he said. For instance, in 1998, when 20 skiers were killed near Cavalese when a U.S. fighter plane severed the line to their cable car, it was Mr. Foglietta who had to apologize on behalf of the American people. In his role, he traveled to the site of the tragedy to pray for the victims.

Mr. Foglietta is survived by nieces Thea Foglietta-Silverstein and Elaine Foglietta-Tereo, and nephews Michael, Angelo and Theodore.

His funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Malachy Church in Philadelphia.

Contact staff writer Sally A. Downey at 215-854-2913 sdowney@phillynews.com. Staff writers Kera Ritter and Christine Schiavo contributed to this article.

Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/13/2004 | Politician Thomas Foglietta, 75, dies
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