Downey was born in Queens , New York City to Norma ( née Morgillo ) and Thomas A. Downey Jr . He graduated from West Islip High School in West Islip , New York , in 1966 , and went on to earn a B.S. from Cornell University in 1970 . He attended St. John 's University School of Law from 1972 to 1974 , and earned a J.D. from the Washington College of Law in 1980 . He served as Suffolk County , New York legislator from 1972 to 1974 , and was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1972 . In 1974 , he was elected as Democrat to the 94th United States Congress ; at 25 , he was the youngest member of that Congress . He was re-elected to the eight succeeding Congresses ( January 3 , 1975 – January 3 , 1993 ) and unsuccessfully ran for reelection to the One Hundred Third United States Congress in 1992 . As a member of the Armed Services Committee , Downey weighed in on arms control issues , serving as an adviser to the negotiation teams for the SALT and START talks . As a member of the Budget and Ways and Means Committees , he championed welfare reform and child care legislation
Democratic National Convention
1972 Democratic National Convention
Thomas Downey