Dufty is the son of the writer William Dufty and Maely Bartholomew, who had lost most of her family in the Holocaust. Dufty was raised in Harlem, New York City where his mother befriended jazz musician Billie Holiday, who would later become his godmother. His voice can be heard on a recording made in the Dufty household where Holiday makes jokes about his red underpants.[1]
Dufty served as Senior Legislative Assistant for Education in the office of New York Rep. Shirley Chisholm. Later, he served as Chief Legislative Aide to Rep. Julian Dixon, a post in which he helped craft legislation that created the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. In San Francisco, he worked for former Supervisor Susan Leal, served as a Senior Advisor for Mayor Willie Brown and as Director of Neighborhood Services.
A Democrat, Dufty was elected a supervisor from the city's eighth district in 2002 before being re-elected in 2006. He served as Chair of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, Chair of the City Operations & Neighborhood Services Committee as well as a Representative on the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District Board.
