{{Short description|American politician}} {{redirect|Peter Rivera|the American musician| Peter Rivera (musician)}} {{use dmy dates|date=March 2018}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Peter Rivera | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1946|11|12}} | birth_place = Ponce, Puerto Rico | alma_mater = Pace University (BBA)<br>St. John's University School of Law (JD) | district2 = 76th | state_assembly2 = New York | term_start2 = January 1, 1993 | term_end2 = June 30, 2012 | preceded2 = Aurelia Greene | succeeded2 = Micah Kellner | office1 = Commissioner of the<br>New York State Department of Labor | term_start1 = July 1, 2012 | succeeded1 = Roberta Reardon | preceded1 = Colleen Gardner | term_end1 = December 31, 2014 | 1blankname1 = Governor | 1namedata1 = Andrew Cuomo }}
'''Peter Rivera''' (born November 12, 1946) is an American politician who represented District 76 in the New York State Assembly, which comprises West Farms, Van Nest, Castle Hill and Parkchester. He later served as the New York State Commissioner of Labor.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-09-28|title=Governor Cuomo Announces Nominee for Commissioner of the Department of Labor|url=https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-nominee-commissioner-department-labor|access-date=2020-10-10|website=Governor Andrew M. Cuomo|language=en|archive-date=10 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010150559/https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-nominee-commissioner-department-labor|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== Early life and education == Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Rivera earned a degree in business administration from Pace University in 1968, and a J.D. from St. John's University School of Law in 1974. The following year, he was admitted to the New York State Bar Association.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Peter_Rivera|title=Peter Rivera|website=Ballotpedia|language=en|access-date=2020-01-12}}</ref>
== Career == Rivera began his career as a patrolman and detective with the New York Police Department in the South Bronx. Rivera then became an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. After graduating from law school, he began to work as an assistant district attorney in the Homicide Bureau of the Bronx County District Attorney's Office. He has been in private law practice since 1978.
First elected to the Assembly in 1992, Rivera was the Chairman of the New York Assembly's Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task force and Assembly Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Developmental Disabilities. He was the highest-ranking self-described Latino officeholder within the State Assembly.<ref name=DC1>{{cite news|last=Cruz|first=David|title=Assemblyman Peter Rivera moves NYS Department of Labor, seat opens|url=https://www.bxtimes.com/stories/2012/14/14_rivera_2012_04_05_bx.html|work=Bronx Times|date=April 5, 2012|access-date=January 12, 2012}}</ref>
In the summer of 2010, ''The New York Times'' reported that Rivera would face a Democratic primary election challenge from Bronx lawyer Luis R. Sepúlveda.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/nyregion/19bronx.html|title=Bronx Democratic Challenger Courts Bangladeshis|last=Dolnick|first=Sam|date=2010-08-18|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-01-12|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Rivera went on to defeat Sepulveda in the 2010 primary.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/bronx-borough-political-games-article-1.199056|title=Let the Bronx borough's political games begin|last=Kappstatter|first=Bob|website=nydailynews.com|access-date=2020-01-12}}</ref>
Rivera resigned from his assembly seat in 2012 to take the position of New York State Commissioner of Labor.<ref name=DC1/>
==References== <references />
==External links== *[http://www.nysdems.org/html/electedofficials/privera.html Biography: New York State Democratic Committee]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} *[http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=076 New York State Assembly Member Website] *[http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2010/02/23/2010-02-23_untitled__b23beat2.html] {{s-start}} {{s-par|us-ny-hs}} {{s-bef|before=Aurelia Greene}} {{s-ttl|title=New York State Assembly<br>76th District|years=1993–2012}} {{s-aft|after=Micah Kellner}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivera, Peter}} Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:Lawyers from Ponce, Puerto Rico Category:American politicians of Puerto Rican descent Category:Drug Enforcement Administration agents Category:Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Category:New York City Police Department officers Category:New York (state) lawyers Category:Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in New York (state) Category:Politicians from the Bronx Category:Politicians from Ponce, Puerto Rico Category:Law enforcement officials from Puerto Rico Category:Pace University alumni Category:St. John's University School of Law alumni Category:21st-century members of the New York State Legislature Category:20th-century members of the New York State Legislature