Aaron Clark

Aaron Clark (born October 16, 1787 in Worthington , Hampshire County , Massachusetts , † August 2, 1861 in Brooklyn , New York ) was an American politician . He was Mayor of New York City between 1837 and 1839 .

Career

Aaron Clark was born in Massachusetts and raised in Vermont . He later graduated from Union College in Schenectady . During the British-American War of 1812 he served in the United States Army . Between 1814 and 1820 he lived in Albany , the capital of New York State. There he was employed in the administration of the New York State Assembly . He then moved to New York City, where he worked in the banking industry. He also ran a lottery. At the same time he embarked on a political career. He was elected to the city council. In the 1830s he joined the Whig Party , which was then founded .

In 1827, Clark was elected Mayor of New York. He held this office after a re-election between 1837 and 1839. Until 1898, the urban area of New York extended essentially to what is now Manhattan . His first choice came in the midst of a severe economic crisis and Clark promised his voters to expand the infrastructure, especially in the port area, to promote trade. His re-election in 1838 was close, as many voters were disappointed with both his and his party's policies. His opponent was his later successor Isaac L. Varian . Clark prevailed with a 1.3% vote lead. Since there were no electoral rolls at that time in the mayoral elections of New York, which had only been held as a general election since 1834, there was manipulation. At least that was what Clark and the Whigs were accused of. In 1839 there was another clash between Clark and Varian in the mayoral election. This time Varian was able to prevail and push Clark out of office. However, the election was marked by massive corruption and intimidation on both sides. This led to public protests. As a result, electoral rolls were drawn up for future mayoral elections to counter the fraud. As Mayor, Aaron Clark regularly held balls that earned him the name Dancing Mayor .

After the end of his time as mayor, he was no longer politically active. He died in Brooklyn on August 2, 1861.

Web links

predecessor	Office	successor
Cornelius Van Wyck Lawrence	Mayor of New York City 1837–1839	Isaac L. Varian

personal data
SURNAME	Clark, Aaron
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	October 16, 1787
PLACE OF BIRTH	Worthington , Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH	August 2, 1861
Place of death	Brooklyn , New York