Francesco Cordasco


Francesco M. Cordasco was an American sociologist and bibliographer who wrote and edited over 100 books. He specialized in immigration history and educational sociology.

Life

Francesco Condasco was born in West New York, living there throughout his life. He was one of three children born to Carmela and Giovanni Cordasco, a factory worker. The first language in the house was Italian. He served in the US Army from 1941 to 1943 before graduating BA from Columbia University and gaining a masters and PhD from New York University. He went on to teach at Long Island University, the City University of New York, New York University and the University of Puerto Rico.
Although Cordasco's main area of expertise was in immigration to America, bilingualism and education, his initial publications dealt with eighteenth century bibliography. In 1949 Cordasco assembled evidence that the identity of Junius was Colonel Lauchlin Macleane.
In 1963 Cordasco was appointed Professor of Education at Montclair State College, where he would remain for 26 years. As an educational consultant in the late 1960s, he recommended parental involvement in ghetto schools, and worked to encourage community participation in poor areas in Philadelphia. He was also Education Editor at USA Today.
He retired from Montclair in 1989.
He died from heart failure at a hospital in Teaneck, New Jersey.

Works