What's a... LaGuardia?

Flown in or out of LaGuardia International Airport? Know who it's named after?

Fiorello LaGuardia was mayor of NYC around the 1940's. But before that, he was a US Congressman from Harlem and the surrounding area.

Mr. L. was part Jewish and part - you guessed it - Italian. He spoke Yiddish and Italian fluently, which gave him some political clout with the immigrants of the area. He was in Congress from around 1913 to 1923, something like that.

LaGuardia, unlike many of his congressional counterparts now, left his seat during WWI to fly in the Italian air force... dog-fights, the Red Baron, that kind of stuff.

He was a champion of the common folk, often siding with the Socialists of his day.

Well, if you liked yesterday's story... Here's one about LaGuardia that should be just as good... and as far as I know, just as true. I heard it on the radio from a preacher who was using it to illustrate the biblical terms "grace" and "unmerited favor". I see it as a story of compassion. It took place during the dark days of the Depression.

So here goes...

When LaGuardia was New York's mayor, so the story goes, he liked to occasionally visit one of the precinct night courts. Well, one night he did so, relieving the grateful judge on duty, and taking over the docket cases.

First up was an incident of thievery.

A young woman walks in, head and eyes cast down, wearing a ragged dress. She walks up to the judges bench.

"What is this woman accused of? says LaGuardia to the bailiff.

"She stole a loaf of bread, Mr. Mayor."

LaGuardia peers down at the quivering woman below and says, "Is this true?"

"Yes, Your Honor. I stole the bread to feed my hungry children."

Well, LaGuardia takes off his high-top hat, places it on the bench in front of him and raps the gavel, hard. "The Court fines you $10 for stealing."

The woman, sobbing uncontrollably now, says, "But I have no money, that's why I stole the bread!"

So LaGuardia takes out his wallet and places a $10 bill in his top-hat on the table in front of him. Then he raps the gavel again, looks around him and says, "I fine everyone in this courtroom 50 cents for living in a city where a woman has to steal bread to feed her children."

The bailiff comes up, takes the hat, passes it around to everyone seated. They all put in their 50 cents. He gives the hat back to the mayor.

LaGuardia stands up, takes the hat, and goes down to where the woman is standing, still trembling.

"Here," he says, handing her the money from the hat. "Take this. Go home. And feed your children."

Maybe that's why they named an airport after him!