Jimmy Walker (politician)
James John "Jimmy" Walker (born June 18, 1881 in New York City , † November 18, 1946 ) was an American politician and mayor of New York City between 1926 and 1932.
The son of Irish immigrants attended college and law school . He then worked in the orbit of vaudeville and show business as a songwriter. In 1908 he had a hit with the song Will you love me in December as you do in May? .
As a member of the Democratic Party , Walker sat in the New York State Assembly from 1910 to 1914 and in the New York Senate from 1914 ; In 1921 he became party leader of the New York City Democrats. In 1925 he was elected mayor. An unprecedented tenure began in the roaring twenties.
He was a star mayor, charming, elegant, attractive to the public, corrupt and work-shy. Soon he had several nicknames such as "Night Mayor" ("Night Mayor"), "Jazz Mayor" ("Jazz Mayor") or "Beau James" ("Lover James"). He loved life and showed it clearly with symbolic appearances for the media. He did not interfere in the administration, let the personality cult flourish around him and took the opinion that people primarily "want to be left alone".
As an unhesitating bon vivant , he was sloppy in his management, unpunctual and excessively present in the nightlife. Walker rarely got up before noon and publicly proclaimed that the greatest sin was to go to bed the same day you got up. Already at the end of the twenties there was hardly any difference between politics and show business in the booming city, corruption flourished and almost every office was for sale under Walker's government.
The consequences of the world economic crisis showed the ineptitude of his administration and person. The city's debt grew by $ 300,000 a day. In early 1932, New York City faced bankruptcy and Walker was brought to justice. Unable to explain huge sums of money in his bank account and faced 15 cases of corruption, he resigned in September of the same year and fled to Europe. He did not return until after the war, when he was sure that he would not be charged any more.
Walker was very fond of boxing and was responsible for the so-called "Walker Law", which legalized boxing in New York State. The politician was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992 for his services to boxing .
Walker's grave is in the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne , about 15 miles north of New York City.
Web links
- Jimmy Walker in the database of Find a Grave (English)
- Biography (rulers.org)
- The Political Graveyard
- Newspaper article about Jimmy Walker in the 20th century press kit of the ZBW - Leibniz Information Center for Economics .
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| John Francis Hylan |
Mayor of New York City 1925 - 1932 |
Joseph V. McKee |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Walker, Jimmy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Walker, James John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 18, 1881 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York City |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 18, 1946 |
| Place of death | New York City |