John Cruger Sr.
John Cruger Sr. († August 13, 1744 ) was Mayor of New York City between 1739 and 1744 .
Life
The dates of birth of John Cruger are given differently in the sources between 1677 and 1688. He had Danish and German roots. His ancestors also used other spellings of the family name such as B. Krieger and Kruger. John was probably born in Germany. Via Bristol in England it came to the then English colony of the Province of New York around 1698, according to other information around 1700 . There he became a successful trader who also increasingly gained political influence in the colony and in New York City. Between 1712 and 1734 he was a member of the local city council and in 1739 he was appointed mayor there. He held this office until his death in 1744. In 1741, during Cruger's tenure as mayor, New York City broke out in a series of fires and mass hysteria spread. Blacks were accused of wanting to burn down the city in a conspiracy with poor whites. 13 blacks were burned alive and four whites and 18 blacks were hanged. Otherwise, his term of office seems to have passed without any particular incident, at least as far as the city of New York is concerned. His son John Cruger Jr. (1710-1791) was also Mayor of New York City between 1757 and 1766.
Web links
- John Cruger senior in the database of Find a Grave (English)
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Richard |
Mayor of New York City 1739–1744 |
Stephen Bayard |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Cruger, John senior |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Cruger, John Sr. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Mayor of New York City |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 17th century |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | unsure: Germany |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 13, 1744 |