Thomas W. "Tom" Alfano was a Republican Party

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 member of the New York State Assembly

New York State Assembly

The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...

, representing the 21st Assembly district. The district includes Elmont

Elmont, New York

Elmont is an unincorporated census-designated place located in the northwest corner of the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City...

, Franklin Square

Franklin Square, New York

Franklin Square is a hamlet in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 29,320 at the 2010 census...

, North Valley Stream

North Valley Stream, New York

North Valley Stream is a census-designated place in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 16,628 at the 2010 census.-Geography:North Valley Stream is located at ....

, Malverne

Malverne, New York

Malverne is a village in the town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 8,514 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land.-History:...

, Floral Park

Floral Park, New York

Floral Park is an incorporated village in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island. The population as of the US Census of 2010 is 15,863. The village is at the western border of Nassau County, and is located in both the Town of Hempstead and the Town of North Hempstead...

, and West Hempstead

West Hempstead, New York

Not to be confused with West Hampstead, London.West Hempstead is a hamlet in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 18,862 at the 2010 census...

.

He was an honors graduate of St. Pius X Preparatory Seminary. He then earned a B.A. from Fordham University

Fordham University

Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...

, where he was valedictorian

Valedictorian

Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...

. In 1984, he received a Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 degree from the Fordham University School of Law

Fordham University School of Law

Fordham University School of Law is a part of Fordham University in the United States. The School is located in the Borough of Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city.-Overview:According to the U.S. News & World Report, 1,516 J.D. students attend...

.

Alfano worked as an attorney at several law firms in New York City, including Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates , founded in 1948, is a prominent law firm based in New York City. With over 2,000 attorneys, it is one of the largest and highest-grossing law firms in the world. Forbes magazine calls Skadden "Wall Street's most powerful law firm"...

. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association

New York State Bar Association

The New York State Bar Association , with 77,000 members, is the largest voluntary bar association in the United States.-History:The State Bar was founded with a constitution that dates to 1877...

 and the Nassau County

Nassau County

Nassau County is the name of two counties in the United States:*Nassau County, New York*Nassau County, Florida...

 Bar Association. He served as counsel to New York State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos from 1988 to 1996. He then became the Chairman of the Town of Hempstead Public Employees Relations Board from 1990 to 1996.

He became a member of the New York State Assembly in February 1996, after winning a special election. He stepped down from the Assembly at the end of 2010.

Alfano resides in North Valley Stream, New York

North Valley Stream, New York

North Valley Stream is a census-designated place in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 16,628 at the 2010 census.-Geography:North Valley Stream is located at ....

. He and his wife Jacqueline have three children: Thomas Jr., Jacqueline, and Stephanie.