Fiorello La Guardia, the 99th Mayor of  New York, who was of Italian heritage, is pictured here in a combative pose in Neil Estern’s statue in LaGuardia Place, Greenwich Village. La Guardia was served as mayor for nine years during the Depression era, leaving a mark both on the history of the city and the image of the Italian-American New York community.

Born in New York from Italian parents, he lived in Trieste as a consular agent, then came back to the US to run for Congress and won on the second try. He represented the 20th District in Manhattan–that included Greenwich Village–, at a time when it was an Italian-American enclave.