Richard J. Daronco

Richard Joseph Daronco (August 1, 1931 – May 21, 1988) was an American lawyer and judge. Born in New York City, he studied at Providence College and Albany Law School before serving for several years in the United States Army. Daronco was first elected a judge of the Westchester County Family Court in 1971. Three years later, he was elected to the Westchester County Court. In 1979, Daronco was appointed by Governor Hugh Carey as a justice of the New York State Supreme Court. He was then appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1987 to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Daronco was on the federal bench for just over a year before he was assassinated at his home in Pelham, New York, by the father of a disgruntled plaintiff whose protracted sexual harassment lawsuit against her former employer had been dismissed by Daronco for lack of evidence. The Westchester County Courthouse and the Pelham Town House were both renamed in his honor.