Peter Tufo
Encyclopedia
Peter Francis Tufo was the U.S. Ambassador
to Hungary
from 1997–2001 and helped found the law firm Tufo, Johnston & Zuccotti in 1970.
in New York City
, specializing in mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. Until 1996 he was a Managing Director of Investment Banking at Merrill Lynch
& Co. advising on domestic and international corporate financing, focusing particularly on developing nations in Asia. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, Mr. Tufo was Senior Advisor at Lazard Freres & Co., where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions and financial advisory work. He has lived in Europe and has worked and traveled extensively in Asia since 1970. In 1994 and 1995, he was a keynote speaker at The Economist
magazine Asian infrastructure financing conferences in Hong Kong
and Beijing
.
From 1989 to 1996, Mr. Tufo also served as unpaid Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the New York State Thruway Authority, the largest toll road and bridge system in the U.S. Under his leadership, the Thruway Authority completed a $2,000 million new construction program, took over and revitalized the 551 miles (887 km) New York State Canal System, undertook major transportation-related economic development projects throughout New York State, and completed over $5,000 million of infrastructure financings for New York State. In addition, the Authority privatized various services through public/private partnerships with the Marriott Corporation and McDonalds Corporation investing $175 million to build 26 new travel plazas. Under Mr. Tufo the Authority also developed and installed E-ZPass
statewide, the nation's first non-stop electronic toll collection system.
and Beloit College
, Mr. Tufo served in the United States Marine Corps
. Thereafter, he joined the New York City law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell
as a corporate litigator. At the request of then-Mayor John Lindsay, he took a leave of absence from Davis Polk & Wardwell
to lead investigations into corruption in city government as chief counsel to the New York City Department of Investigation. Subsequently, he was appointed Assistant to the Mayor for federal affairs and established the City's first office in Washington where he worked for three years with the Congress and the White House to pass major urban and civil rights legislation.
Mr. Tufo returned to the practice of law when he, Joeph F. Johnston, and John Zuccotti, his colleagues from Davis, Polk, founded the firm of Tufo Johnston & Zuccotti in 1970. Over 15 years they built it into a thriving mid-size law firm which the American Lawyer has described as "one of the classiest, most successful firms in the country". The firm specialized in complex financial and urban land use matters. The firm merged with Brown & Wood
in 1986 and Mr. Tufo subsequently joined Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
.
Mr. Tufo has intertwined his professional life with public service. In 1975, he was appointed Chairman of the New York City Board of Correction, which oversees parts of the city's criminal justice system. He was reappointed for a second term in 1979 by Mayor Koch, serving a total of 10 years as unpaid Chairman. In recommending his appointment, the New York Times editorially praised him as "a highly qualified and experienced citizen who has strong credentials for this important post".
In 1975, Mr. Tufo warned of an impending riot at the Rikers Island prison complex and when it occurred and hostages were taken, he and Commissioner Benjamin Malcolm crawled through tear gas into prisoner-held territory, established a truce, negotiated release of the hostages, and ended the rebellion. The New York Times
editorialized, "because of the courage of these men, no lives were lost".
Subsequently, Mr. Tufo increased the investigative and regulatory power of the Board by a public referendum amending the City charter. This enabled the Board to establish enforceable working and living standards for the 3,000 correction officers and 20,000 detainees in the city's correction system.
Thereafter, Mr. Tufo served as on-camera host and commentator for the award-winning Metromedia television documentary series, "The Cost of Crime," which analyzed the problems of the New York criminal justice system in seven one-hour Sunday night special programs. Two years later, following appointment to the New York City Commission on Education, Mr. Tufo received an Emmy from the American Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his role as host and commentator in "Save our Schools", a Metromedia
television documentary series on the problems of urban public education nationwide.
He has been a director of public companies and has held numerous board positions with civic and educational institutions. He is a past President of the Yale Law School Association, and in 1987 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law degree by the Graduate School of the City University in recognition of his public service.
Ambassador Peter F. Tufo concluded his service as Ambassador to Hungary on March 1, 2001.
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
from 1997–2001 and helped found the law firm Tufo, Johnston & Zuccotti in 1970.
Biography
Prior to his appointment as U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, Peter Tufo was with the law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloyMilbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP is a United States law firm headquartered in New York City. It also has offices in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, London, Frankfurt, Munich, Tokyo, Hong Kong, São Paulo, Singapore and Beijing.Milbank is a global law firm, with approximately 550 lawyers who...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, specializing in mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. Until 1996 he was a Managing Director of Investment Banking at Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...
& Co. advising on domestic and international corporate financing, focusing particularly on developing nations in Asia. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, Mr. Tufo was Senior Advisor at Lazard Freres & Co., where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions and financial advisory work. He has lived in Europe and has worked and traveled extensively in Asia since 1970. In 1994 and 1995, he was a keynote speaker at The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
magazine Asian infrastructure financing conferences in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
From 1989 to 1996, Mr. Tufo also served as unpaid Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the New York State Thruway Authority, the largest toll road and bridge system in the U.S. Under his leadership, the Thruway Authority completed a $2,000 million new construction program, took over and revitalized the 551 miles (887 km) New York State Canal System, undertook major transportation-related economic development projects throughout New York State, and completed over $5,000 million of infrastructure financings for New York State. In addition, the Authority privatized various services through public/private partnerships with the Marriott Corporation and McDonalds Corporation investing $175 million to build 26 new travel plazas. Under Mr. Tufo the Authority also developed and installed E-ZPass
E-ZPass
E-ZPass is an electronic toll-collection system used on most tolled roads, bridges, and tunnels in the northeastern US, south to Virginia and West Virginia, and west to Illinois. Currently, there are 25 agencies spread across 14 states that make up the . All member agencies use the same technology,...
statewide, the nation's first non-stop electronic toll collection system.
Early career
Following graduation from the Yale Law SchoolYale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
and Beloit College
Beloit College
Beloit College is a liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin, USA. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, and has an enrollment of roughly 1,300 undergraduate students. Beloit is the oldest continuously operated college in Wisconsin, and has the oldest building of any college...
, Mr. Tufo served in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. Thereafter, he joined the New York City law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Davis Polk & Wardwell
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is an international law firm. The firm employs more than 800 attorneys worldwide and is headquartered in New York City. The firm represents many of the world's largest companies and leading financial institutions, and is best known for its corporate and litigation...
as a corporate litigator. At the request of then-Mayor John Lindsay, he took a leave of absence from Davis Polk & Wardwell
Davis Polk & Wardwell
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is an international law firm. The firm employs more than 800 attorneys worldwide and is headquartered in New York City. The firm represents many of the world's largest companies and leading financial institutions, and is best known for its corporate and litigation...
to lead investigations into corruption in city government as chief counsel to the New York City Department of Investigation. Subsequently, he was appointed Assistant to the Mayor for federal affairs and established the City's first office in Washington where he worked for three years with the Congress and the White House to pass major urban and civil rights legislation.
Mr. Tufo returned to the practice of law when he, Joeph F. Johnston, and John Zuccotti, his colleagues from Davis, Polk, founded the firm of Tufo Johnston & Zuccotti in 1970. Over 15 years they built it into a thriving mid-size law firm which the American Lawyer has described as "one of the classiest, most successful firms in the country". The firm specialized in complex financial and urban land use matters. The firm merged with Brown & Wood
Brown & Wood
Brown & Wood was a New York-based law firm established in 1914 that merged with Chicago-based Sidley & Austin in 2001 to form Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, later shortened to Sidley Austin....
in 1986 and Mr. Tufo subsequently joined Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP is a United States law firm headquartered in New York City. It also has offices in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, London, Frankfurt, Munich, Tokyo, Hong Kong, São Paulo, Singapore and Beijing.Milbank is a global law firm, with approximately 550 lawyers who...
.
Mr. Tufo has intertwined his professional life with public service. In 1975, he was appointed Chairman of the New York City Board of Correction, which oversees parts of the city's criminal justice system. He was reappointed for a second term in 1979 by Mayor Koch, serving a total of 10 years as unpaid Chairman. In recommending his appointment, the New York Times editorially praised him as "a highly qualified and experienced citizen who has strong credentials for this important post".
In 1975, Mr. Tufo warned of an impending riot at the Rikers Island prison complex and when it occurred and hostages were taken, he and Commissioner Benjamin Malcolm crawled through tear gas into prisoner-held territory, established a truce, negotiated release of the hostages, and ended the rebellion. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
editorialized, "because of the courage of these men, no lives were lost".
Subsequently, Mr. Tufo increased the investigative and regulatory power of the Board by a public referendum amending the City charter. This enabled the Board to establish enforceable working and living standards for the 3,000 correction officers and 20,000 detainees in the city's correction system.
Thereafter, Mr. Tufo served as on-camera host and commentator for the award-winning Metromedia television documentary series, "The Cost of Crime," which analyzed the problems of the New York criminal justice system in seven one-hour Sunday night special programs. Two years later, following appointment to the New York City Commission on Education, Mr. Tufo received an Emmy from the American Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his role as host and commentator in "Save our Schools", a Metromedia
Metromedia
Metromedia was a media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and owned Orion Pictures from 1986-1997.- Overview :...
television documentary series on the problems of urban public education nationwide.
He has been a director of public companies and has held numerous board positions with civic and educational institutions. He is a past President of the Yale Law School Association, and in 1987 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law degree by the Graduate School of the City University in recognition of his public service.
Ambassador Peter F. Tufo concluded his service as Ambassador to Hungary on March 1, 2001.