–Breslin campaign button in 1969 Breslin began working for the
Long Island Press as a
copy boy in the 1940s. the
Daily News, the
New York Journal American,
Newsday,
The Daily Beast, the
National Police Gazette and other venues. When the Sunday supplement of the
Tribune was reworked into
New York magazine by editor
Clay Felker in 1962, Breslin appeared in the new edition, which became "the hottest Sunday read in town." One of his best known columns was published the day after
John F. Kennedy's
funeral and focused on the man who had dug the president's grave. In 1969, Breslin ran for president of the
New York City Council in tandem with
Norman Mailer, who was seeking election as mayor, on the unsuccessful independent
51st State ticket advocating
secession of the city from the rest of the state. A memorable quotation of his from the experience: "I am mortified to have taken part in a process that required bars to be closed." The ticket was referred to as "Vote the Rascals In." Breslin's career as an
investigative journalist led him to cultivate ties with various
Mafia and criminal elements in the city, not always with positive results. In 1970, he was viciously attacked and brutally beaten at The Suite, a restaurant then owned by
Lucchese crime family associate
Henry Hill. The attack was carried out by Irish mobster
Jimmy Burke, who objected to an article Breslin had written involving another member of the Lucchese family,
Paul Vario. Breslin suffered a major
concussion, a minor concussion, three broken fingers, a fractured rib, a broken nose and
nosebleeding, but survived the ordeal without any permanent injury. He filed a police report claiming Burke attacked him, but no charges were filed. In 1971, Breslin spoke at
Harvard's Class Day. Two years later, on September 6, 1973, he appeared on
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson alongside
Glen Campbell,
Don Rickles and
Dom DeLuise. In 1977, at the height of the
Son of Sam scare in New York City, the killer, later identified as David Berkowitz, addressed letters to Breslin. Breslin's performance received a
Golden Turkey Award nomination for "Worst Performance by a Novelist." In 1982 Breslin was compared to English author
Jilly Cooper. In 1986, Breslin revealed that
Donald Manes, the
Borough President of
Queens, was involved in a
kickback scheme. Manes later died of suicide. In 1991, while covering the
Crown Heights riot, he was beaten and robbed by a crowd of youths. Shortly before his death, Breslin and
Pete Hamill were interviewed about their careers for the 2019
HBO documentary
Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists. == Awards and recognition ==