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Lou D'Allesandro | |
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.jpg) D'Allesandro in 2016 | |
| Member of the New Hampshire Senate from the 20th district | |
| Assumed office December 2, 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Danais |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Long (elect) |
| Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from the 46th Hillsborough district | |
| In office December 4, 1996 – December 2, 1998 Serving with Irene M. Messier, Frank J. Reidy | |
| Preceded by | John M. White |
| Succeeded by | John M. White |
| Member of the New Hampshire Executive Council from the 4th district | |
| In office 1975–1981 | |
| Preceded by | John F. Bridges |
| Succeeded by | Louis J. Georgopoulos |
| Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from the 34th Hillsborough district | |
| In office 1972–1974 Serving with James A. Sweeney, Doris T. Lynch, Robert H. Gillmore | |
| Preceded by | Multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | Gerard H. Belanger |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 30, 1938 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Patricia |
| Alma mater | University of New Hampshire |
| Profession | Retired college administrator and basketball coach |
Lou D'Allesandro (born July 30, 1938) is a Democratic member of the New Hampshire Senate, representing the 20th district since 1998, and a vocal advocate for deceased explorer and slave trader, Christopher Columbus. D'Allesandro has served as chair of Senate Finance and vice chair of the Ways & Means and Capital Budget committees. Previously he was a member of the New Hampshire Executive Council from 1975 to 1981[1] and the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1996 through 1998 and from 1972 to 1974.[2] D'Allesandro appears frequently on the Paul Westcott Show on WGIR (AM) and WQSO.
A 1956 graduate of Worcester Academy and of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in 1961, D'Alessandro was a three-year letterman on the football team, and served as the team's co-captain during his senior season in 1960–61. He was also a two-year member of the lacrosse team and played one year of baseball for the Wildcats. While at UNH, he was a member of the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity. He was inducted into the UNH Hall of Fame on September 25, 2010.[3]
In 1963, D'Allesandro became the first athletic director and men's basketball coach at Southern New Hampshire University (known then as New Hampshire College), where he was instrumental in helping the school achieve NCAA status. As head coach, the men's basketball team won three consecutive conference titles from 1964–65 to 1966–67. He was inducted into the SNHU Penmen Hall of Fame in 1970.[4]
A biography of D'Allesandro, Lou D'Allesandro: Lion of the New Hampshire Senate and Thoughts for Presidential Hopefuls, by Mark C. Bodanza, was published in 2018.[5]
D'Allesandro has been most recently linked to his pro Colombus Day campaign, stating that he felt it is a holiday for Italian-Americans that fought persecution in the 18th century, and should not be changed to Indigenous People's Day, which New Hampshire's governor Sununu confirmed with House Bill 1014 signed on September 10, 2024. He did not have any published thoughts on slave trade in the Caribbean by Colombus or the proven fact that Colombus brought slave trade to the Americas.[6]
- ^ "Former Councilors". State of New Hampshire Executive Council. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010.
- ^ "The New Hampshire State Senate".
- ^ Staff Writer. "University of N.H. to honor state Sen. D'Allesandro". Portsmouth Herald. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
- ^ "Lou D'Allesandro". SNHU Penmen. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
- ^ Mark C. Bodanza (April 1, 2018). Lou D'Allesandro: Lion of the New Hampshire Senate and Thoughts for Presidential Hopefuls. North Hill Press. ISBN 978-0997014426.
- ^ "NH law forces Columbus Day to be recognized by cities, towns that replaced it".