3/11/2008:
When one thinks of New York’s court system, North Dakota doesn’t generally come to mind. However, that’s only if one doesn’t know of two University of North Dakota alumni, Salvatore and Mary Dee Martoche. Salvatore Martoche has been an Associate Justice of the New York Supreme Court since January of 2000. His wife, Mary Dee Martoche, a native of Bismarck, is a prominent lawyer in Buffalo, New York.
Following graduation from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1967, Salvatore Martoche settled down in a successful private law practice. One of his most successful cases resulted not only in major revisions of the Witness Protection Program, but in the release of both a book and a major motion picture, “Hide in Plain Sight.” In 1982 Martoche left his practice at the behest of Ronald Reagan in order to become an U.S. Attorney.
The 1980’s would prove to be a busy decade for Mr. Martoche. Besides his service as an U.S. Attorney, where he was the chief federal law enforcement officer for western New York, on this date, March 11, 1986, Mr. Martoche was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to the position of Assistant Secretary of Labor, where he worked to clean trade unions of mob influence. In 1988 Martoche moved to the Treasury Department, overseeing all departmental law enforcement operations, and was later made acting Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, where he was instrumental in addressing the savings and loan scandals of the 1980’s.
Salvatore Martoche met his wife, Mary Dee Martoche in North Dakota while attending the UND. Also a graduate of the University of North Dakota, Mary Dee was born and raised in Bismarck, and has lead a life committed to public service. She is active in the Red Cross, served on the board of directors of her local school, and volunteers for a variety of community programs. Although this English teacher-turned-lawyer moved from North Dakota when she and Salvatore Martoche were married, she still retains many fond memories from her home state, such as witnessing President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s dedication of Garrison Dam.
Salvatore and Mary Dee Martoche may seem like quintessential New Yorkers, but much of who they are; Mary Dee’s childhood, their education, and their marriage can be traced back to their time in North Dakota.
Written By: Lane Sunwall
Sources
Bar Association of Erie County
http://www.eriebar.org/files/May_2006%5B1%5D.new.pdf
The Daily Record (Rochester, NY)
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4180/is_20040630/ai_n10069952
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation: The S&L Crisis
http://www.fdic.gov/bank/historical/s&l/
Mary Dee Martoche: North Dakota’s Loss, Buffalo’s Gain
http://www.livingprimetime.com/ForeverYoung/martoche.htm
Official Website of the New York Supreme Court
http://www.courts.state.ny.us/ad4/Court/Bios/Martoche.htm
Rottentomatoes.com
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hide_in_plain_sight/#synopsis
University of North Dakota School of Law Information
http://www.law.und.edu/Alumni/Homecoming07.php
Website of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1986/31186b.htm
Website of the United States Department of Justice