Former Gov. Mario Cuomo's Portrait Unveiled By His Son

ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- On this Father's Day weekend, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Saturday unveiled a painting of his father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo, at the State Capitol.

The portrait of the elder Cuomo, the 52nd New York State governor, was painted by Simmie Knox, a nationally-known portraiture artist who painted the White House portraits of President Bill and First Lady Hillary Clinton. He also painted portraits of U.S. Supreme Court Justices Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

"A year ago we presented Governor Mario Cuomo with his official gubernatorial portrait. Today, we unveiled the painting in the Hall of Governors to complete the exquisite gallery that tells the story of our state's distinguished history and its leaders," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release. "Governor Mario Cuomo was not just one of our state's greatest governors, but a father that instilled in me the values of public service, hard work, and commitment to making our state a better place. I can think of no better way to celebrate my dad on his birthday this Father's Day weekend."

The portrait was created with oil paint on oil-primed linen. It was based on a 1989 photo of Gov. Mario Cuomo painted by Don Pollard.

Mario Cuomo, 81, served as New York state governor for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. He previously served as New York secretary of state and lieutenant governor.

The elder Cuomo also ran unsuccessfully for New York City mayor in 1977, losing to Ed Koch. He was considered a potential frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and 1992, but decided not to run both years – although he won 3.92 percent of the vote in a write-in campaign for the 1992 New Hampshire primary.

Governor Mario Cuomo's portrait was mounted in the state Capitol Hall of Governors gubernatorial portrait gallery.

Check Out These Other Stories From CBSNewYork.com: