William Russell Grace

William Russell Grace (born May 10, 1832 in Ballylinan , County Laois , Ireland , † March 21, 1904 in New York City ) was an American politician . In the years 1881 and 1882 and again from 1885 to 1886 he was mayor of the city of New York.

Career

William Grace grew up in his Irish homeland. In 1851 he traveled with his father to Peru , where the two wanted to found an Irish settlement that was to be primarily active in the agricultural sector. While the father to Ireland returned, William remained in Peru, where he as a ship supplier for the company John Bryce and Co worked. He later became a partner in the company, which changed its name several times to become WR Grace and Company . Since 1865 he lived in New York City. From there he managed his company from then on. In 1878 and 1879 he helped his Irish homeland during a famine. From 1879 to 1884 he also delivered weapons to Peru, which the country used in a war with Chile . By 1890, the WR Grace Company controlled most of Peru's transportation and industrial companies. Grace was committed to building the Panama Canal . Ten years after his death, it was his company's ship that first entered the new canal.

Politically, Grace joined the Democratic Party . However, as a native Irishman who had meanwhile obtained American citizenship, he was an opponent of the Tammany Hall society , which was very influential in New York and whose members mostly came from the Anglo-American population group. In 1880, Grace was elected Mayor of New York City. He held this office between January 1, 1881 and December 31, 1882. The metropolitan area of New York extended until 1898 essentially to what is now Manhattan . He was the first Catholic and Irish mayor of the city and fought the corruption practiced especially by Tammany Hall. He also cut taxes. Nevertheless, he was not re-established by his party in 1882, so Franklin Edson was elected as his successor.

William Grace remained a member of the Democrats but was re-elected Mayor of New York City as an Independent in 1884. He held this office in 1885 and 1886. During this time the Statue of Liberty , a gift from France, was erected in New York. In June 1888, Grace took part as a delegate at the Democratic National Convention in St. Louis , on which President Grover Cleveland was nominated for re-election, which was unsuccessful. Together with his brother Michael, he founded the Grace Institute for socially disadvantaged women in 1897 . His nephew Cecil Grace (1880–1910) was an aviation pioneer who lost his orientation while flying over the English Channel in 1910 and has since been considered lost. William Grace himself died on March 21, 1904 in New York.

Web links

predecessor	Office	successor
Edward Cooper	Mayor of New York City 1881–1882	Franklin Edson
Franklin Edson	Mayor of New York City 1885–1886	Abram Hewitt

personal data
SURNAME	Grace, William Russell
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	May 10, 1832
PLACE OF BIRTH	Ballylinan , County Laois , Ireland
DATE OF DEATH	March 21, 1904
Place of death	New York City