Vincent R. Impellitteri

Vincent R. Impellitteri (left) with Israel’s Prime Minister David Ben Gurion , 1951

Vincent Richard Impellitteri (born February 4, 1900 in Isnello , Sicily , † January 29, 1987 in Bridgeport , Connecticut ) was an American politician and lawyer . He was Mayor of New York City from 1950 to 1953 .

Origin and education

Vincent Impellitteri was born in Sicily as the son of the cobbler Salvatore Impellitteri. The father later emigrated with the family to the United States, where he settled first in the Lower East Side of Manhattan and later in Ansonia , Connecticut. Impellitteri joined 1917 the Ansonia High School , and then served as a radio operator on a destroyer of the US Navy in the First World War . After the war he attended Fordham University in the evening and worked during the day first as a bellhop and later as a manager in a hotel on Broadway . In 1922 he became an American citizen. After successfully completing his law degree in 1924, he joined a private law firm where Martin Conboy, an influential Democrat , also worked. From 1929 to 1938 he worked for the Manhattan prosecutor's office and then returned to a private law firm. Through his political contacts with the Democrats, whom he had been close to since studying at Fordham, he became personal secretary to Peter Schmuck, a judge at the New York State Supreme Court , and later to Judge Joseph A. Gavagan in 1941 .

Political career

Although largely unknown, Impellitteri in 1945 with the support of William O'Dwyers , who ran for mayor as chairman of the City Council ( City Council selected). Crucial for Impellitteri's choice as a running mate was that he was considered honest, capable and loyal and should improve O'Dwyer's chances of election among the Italian-born New Yorkers. O'Dwyer's tenure was overshadowed by numerous scandals and nepotism between his administration and the Democratic party bosses at Tammany Hall , who had brought him into office. When another police scandal threatened to become public in 1950, O'Dwyer resigned on September 1, 1950 and Impellitteri became executive mayor under the New York City Charter.

In the by-elections in November 1950, which took place because of the resignation of O'Dwyer, Tammany Hall Impellitteri failed to support, so that this ran as an independent candidate. Impellitteri's reputation and hostility to Tammany Hall nevertheless helped him to victory, and he was sworn in as the 101st Mayor of New York on November 14, 1950. Impellitteri tried to organize the city's finances and fight corruption, especially among the police. However, parts of his administration that he had taken over from O'Dwyer were still fraught with corruption charges, and although Impellitteri was always considered louder personally, he failed to win the trust of the New Yorkers. In the meantime, Tammany Hall had also regained its strength and supported Robert F. Wagner , who won the mayoral elections in November 1953.

Later career

After his election as mayor, Impellitteri was appointed judge by his successor Wagner and retired in 1965.

Impellitteri died on January 29, 1987 of heart failure and the complications of Parkinson's disease .

Web links

• Obituary in the New York Times
• List of New York City Mayors since 1898 , (Eng.); last viewed on May 4, 2009

• Vincent R. Impellitteri in the database of Find a Grave (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
William O'Dwyer	Mayor of New York City 1950–1953	Robert F. Wagner