George Opdyke
George Opdyke (born December 7, 1805 in Kingwood , Hunterdon County , New Jersey , † June 13, 1880 in New York City ) was an American politician . Between 1862 and 1864 he was Mayor of New York City.
Career
George Opdyke was originally a tailor. In this profession he worked in the cities of Cleveland and New Orleans before he settled in the northern part of his native New Jersey in 1832. There, and then from the 1850s in New York City, he entered the textile industry and became a clothing manufacturer and dealer. Later he also got into banking.
Politically, he initially joined the Free Soil Party . In 1848 he took part as a delegate at their federal party conference in Buffalo . In the same year, while still in New Jersey, he unsuccessfully applied for a seat in the United States House of Representatives . He was an opponent of slavery . However, this opposition to this institution was based less on moral than on economic considerations. In the 1850s he became a member of the Republican Party . In 1859 he was elected to the New York State Assembly ; in May 1860 he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Chicago , where Abraham Lincoln was nominated as a presidential candidate. He played an important role in his nomination.
In 1861 Opdyke became the first Republican to be elected Mayor of New York. He held this office between 1862 and 1864. The metropolitan area of New York extended until 1898 essentially to what is now Manhattan . Opdyke's tenure fell during the civil war . He supported the cause of the Union and raised troops, which he also equipped himself. There was also some resistance to the war and the war measures within the population of his city. The mayor disregarded this. After the end of his time as mayor, George Opdyke continued his entrepreneurial career. He was also a member of several organizations and associations. This also included the local chamber of commerce. He died on June 13, 1880.
Web links
- George Opdyke in the database of Find a Grave (English)
- The Political Graveyard
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Fernando Wood |
Mayor of New York City 1862–1864 |
Charles Godfrey Gunther |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Opdyke, George |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 7, 1805 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kingwood , New Jersey |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 13, 1880 |
| Place of death | New York City |