A liberal member of the Republican Party, La Guardia was frequently cross-endorsed by parties other than his own, especially parties on the left under New York's electoral fusion laws. He was known for his irascible, energetic, and charismatic personality and diminutive, rotund stature. Fiorello Henry La Guardia ( / f iː ə ˈ r ɛ l oʊ l ə ˈ ɡ w ɑːr d i ə/ born Fiorello Raffaele Enrico La Guardia, Italian pronunciation: December 11, 1882 – September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the House of Representatives and served as the 99th Mayor of New York City from 1934 to 1946.
