An election was held to fill the Municipal Assembly of the newly created City of Greater New York on November 2, 1897.[1] The charter of the new city had created a bicameral Municipal Assembly, consisting of an upper Council and a lower Board of Aldermen. Each chamber was elected from specially-made districts. In addition, the president of the Council was elected in a separate election on the same day.[1]
Democrats won majorities in both chambers of the Assembly, winning 26 of the Council's 28 seats and 47 of the 60 aldermanic seats. Affiliates of Tammany Hall filled all of Manhattan's seats in the Council.[2] In addition, Democrat Randolph Guggenheimer won the Council Presidency.[1]
Bicameralism would prove to be short-lived, as the Municipal Assembly was replaced with a unicameral Board of Aldermen in 1901.[3]
Council election
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All 28 seats of the New York City Council 14 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||
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The Council was divided into ten districts, eight of which elected three members each.[4] The remaining two—one covering Queens and the other Staten Island—elected two members each.[4] One of the members from Queens was elected from Long Island City and Newtown and the other from the remainder of the borough.[4] The entirety of the Bronx was located in the fifth district alongside upper Manhattan.[4]
| District | Member | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | John T. Oakley, Tammany | |
| Martin Engel, Tammany | ||
| Thomas F. Foley, Tammany | ||
| 2 | Charles F. Allen, Tammany | |
| Patrick J. Ryder, Tammany | ||
| Frank J. Goodwin, Tammany | ||
| 3 | John J. Murphy, Tammany | |
| Harry C. Hart, Tammany | ||
| George R. Christman, Tammany | ||
| 4 | Stewart M. Brice, Tammany | |
| Eugene A. Wise, Tammany | ||
| Herman Sulzer, Tammany | ||
| 5 | A. C. Hottenroth, Tammany | |
| Bernard C. Murray, Tammany | ||
| William J. Hyland, Tammany | ||
| 6 | F. F. Williams, Republican | |
| Charles H. Francisco, Republican | Disputed | |
| Conrad Hester, Democratic | ||
| 7 | Adam H. Leich, Republican | |
| Charles H. Ebbets, Democratic | ||
| Henry French, Democratic | ||
| 8 | John J, McGarry, Democratic | |
| William A. Doyle, Democratic | ||
| Martin F. Conly, Democratic | ||
| 9 | Joseph Cassidy, Democratic | Representing Long Island City and Newtown[5] |
| D. L. Van Nostrand, Democratic | Representing the remainder[5] | |
| 10 | Joseph F. O'Grady, Democratic | |
| Benjamin Bodine, Democratic |
Aldermanic election
editEach assembly district in the city was entitled to elect one member to the Board of Aldermen, except for Queens, which elected two overall (one from Long Island City and Newtown and the other from the remainder) and the Bronx, from which one member was elected from Westchester County's first and second assembly districts.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c "The Vote for President of Council". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 57, no. 305. November 3, 1897. p. 3. Retrieved July 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Elected". The Brooklyn Standard Union. Vol. 34, no. 108. November 4, 1897. p. 3. Retrieved July 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "New Charter's effect on City affairs". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 61, no. 211. August 1, 1901. Retrieved July 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Charter §19
- ^ a b "Tammany in Long Island City". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 57, no. 322. November 20, 1897. p. 2. Retrieved July 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Charter §24
Bibliography
edit- The Charter of the City of New York, Chapter 378 of the Laws of 1897, With amendments passed in 1898 and 1899, and a complete index, and maps of boroughs. Eagle Building, Brooklyn: Office of Publication. September 1899. Retrieved July 14, 2019.