Robert Anderson Van Wyck

Robert Anderson Van Wyck

Robert Anderson Van Wyck (born July 20, 1849 in New York City , † November 14, 1918 in Paris ) was an American lawyer and the first mayor of New York City after the merger of the five boroughs in 1898.

Early years

Robert Anderson Van Wyck was born on his family's estate in 1849, the son of lawyer William Van Wyck; his younger brother Augustus also embarked on a career as a lawyer and politician. At the age of about ten, he broke off his school education and earned his living as a delivery boy. After working in the port for five years in a shop in the city, he took his training again and could be successful in 1872 Law studies at Columbia College of Columbia University graduate. After his admission to the bar in the same year, he began to work in this profession.

Political career

Tammany Hall

In addition to his work as a lawyer, Van Wyck quickly came into contact with Tammany Hall , where he quickly gained popularity after having turned away from the organization due to differences with John Kelly . In 1889 he became a judge in the City Court in New York and was elected Chief Justice six years later . In 1897, however, he resigned from this office in order to stand as a democratic candidate for the city's mayor, which he won with a majority of more than 86,000 votes. There were no ceremonies when he took office and, unusually, Van Wyck made no speech.

Mayor of New York

The politics in his tenure between 1898 and 1901 can be regarded as controversial, since Van Wyck, as a member of the Tammany Hall, had their politics dictated without taking any action. For example, he had to justify the extent to which he was under the influence of Tammany Hall leader Richard Croker in filling the offices . Initially popular with the citizens because he reversed the unpopular reforms of his predecessors and, for example, broke ground for the construction of the New York subway , his political career was ruined by the so-called Ice Trust scandal .

The American Ice Company's trust, newly established in 1899, planned to increase ice cream prices for business customers from $ 0.15 to $ 0.25 per 100 pounds, and for private customers from $ 0.25 to $ 0.65. Since the American Ice Company was the sole supplier of ice cream in New York City, this created a great deal of public opposition as ice was the only way to keep food and medicine fresh at the time. In the course of the investigation into the scandal, it became clear that members of Tammany Hall were shareholders in the trust. In a list published in June 1900, Mayor Van Wyck also held shares valued at approximately $ 680,000. In addition, by rejecting a bill, Van Wyck had ensured that no other ice cream company was allowed to enter New York Harbor. Theodore Roosevelt , the governor of New York, did not remove Van Wyck from office, but instead called for anti-trust legislation to be strengthened. In the next election for mayor in 1901, Seth Low won with a majority of over 33,000 votes.

Old age and death

After his tenure, Van Wyck ended his political career. He married Kate E. Hertle and moved to Paris, where he died on November 14, 1918. According to him, which is Wyck Island named in Antarctica.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Admissions to the bar , in: New York Times, June 15, 1872
2. ↑ Van Wyck by 86,000 , in: New York Times, November 3, 1897
3. ^ Van Wyck at the helm , in: New York Times, January 2, 1898
4. ^ Van Wyck before Mazet Committee , in: New York Times, May 17, 1899
5. ^ Public Officials on Ice Trust List , in: New York Times, June 5, 1900
6. ^ ^{A b} Robert A. Van Wyck Dies in Paris Home , in: New York Times of November 16, 1918
7. ^ Ice Charges Dismissed , in: New York Times, November 24, 1900
8. ^ Victory for the Fusion Ticket , in: New York Times, November 6, 1901

Web links

• Robert Anderson Van Wyck in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• contemporary article on Robert Anderson Van Wyck in the New York Times

predecessor	Office	successor
William Lafayette Strong	Mayor of New York City 1898–1901	Seth Low