Edward Irving "Ed" Koch (/ˈkɒtʃ/ KOTCH; December 12, 1924 – February 1, 2013) was an American lawyer, politician, political commentator, movie critic and reality television arbitrator. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and three terms as mayor of New York City, which he led from fiscal insolvency to economic boom, from 1978 to 1989.Koch was a lifelong Democrat who described himself as a "liberal with sanity".