The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-01-01
INSTALLING TIE MAYORS
orrTcfAL INCEsTRY or THE CITr's
SEW CUfEF HiGiSTRifE.

Tn,4y charters Ci,ic K,nriTion r,im-
live runishrrnts- Oid-l imc Poliiics.
The Hon. Smith Fly, .Ir.. Mayor of New
y,tt. comes If long line az snicial ancestors.
,eacl,irg back ever two hundred years. When |
,se ar-i charter was granted TO the Dutch West |
1r.i, company I'm iGii. the government of the |
ct,.fNew Amsterdam was place. In the hands |
ora I'd of Directors. OF whom Corncllissen |
Ic,ts,n Nrcv was the cnicf 1his arrangement |
continued until the VIZ with the Rattan Indians |
nader pirHct Hr Eteft, when. IN consequence of |
thc critical condition OF affair. the first popuiar
assembly that ever convened IN the island o.
Nsnhattan assembled In the fott on the 18th Of
August. iGil. Tho peoue then chose twelve
.eec men TO act az their representatives. and
mi. body IN turn was succeeded 10y a council of
whit. both If which were temporary eXpedi
cuts. Finally the Dutch Home Government
rrant ed a petition for an iDtN pend, mt municipal
administration. aud OH April 4. lo2 u charter
WAS conferred on the little city giving 1t u
butsher government.
This consisted of a schou,, to he appointed by
The company, and two burromasters and 1--WE
,chepens. to Re selected Inv the pee pie. The
tity thus received its first Incorporation, and
among the schepens thus chosen were Wilhelm
BeekmaD, Peter Van Couwenhoven, ana other
Lonored names. \ few years later the English
got possession OF the province. and on Junc L..
I1fj the royal Governor issued the first ENGLISH
charter. which rcvok ed the form OF the muuici
ral government and placed the executive power
IN the hands Of a Mayor, Ave Aldermen, ana a
eherin. according to the English form of incor-
poration said officers ~ be selected by the
Governor.
Tue first Mayor OF New York was Thomas VIII
lett The Aldermen were rhomas Dclayal,
Qlode Stevenson Van Cortaudt, Jonn Brugge-,
Cornelius Van Ruyven, and John Lawrence, and
u.rl at
vas one OF the Plymouth piigug-. VINO lelt
Ea-llud in lb.p ami subsequently moved to
Nv ,Am-tcr ain. liz great s,e.i-sr ,nd,on'
KarI. aud was "a Distinguished iiit.r In ,he
hcyolu. innarN amy, me .itN records are hcpt
In Dutch ana English, 'nd Nichjl 4, lIN rd We
hppuinted Assistant Cieik e. tne uiumuu tcun-
I'll. Alderman ID laval. who was Mayor "a 1915
and again from lt,l t. lU's. = Ia his Gay
muu. business man, as VS. also Cornelius
strnWyck. vino held orce in los ~ aud AGAIN
IN l6o2-5. Nautilus Nicui md Jrhu Ltwr'ncc
were his successors. In lO,j, ihe ia. ch again
8 possession OF the ci,l, tut gave place to the
Eueiish IN the following year. AID William Der
val, merchant, was appointed Mayor by Gov
Ncholas De Meyer, who was the city's chief
Magistrate ~ 1876. was the mt t. Introduce
severe regulations. lie mad the cii GIT s'clo-ed
Nga and opened at 0. Citizets were fined for pro-
t.nty, ana rum was sod at thrrei ence per quart.
II au ludiau was seen drunk ga tile streets. tie
tavern kreIer from whom n, b uehi D.. uquur
was fined II the latter could Lo. be al cove ed,
IN whole street was fined to pay the PENALTY.
NJ grain could be distilie unless uhui Tor Ao!r.
A. natural result, tNo ltais at, rwasd, he
excise On lqd, was removed. md IL were Icr-
nHted 10 ouy aud sell Ia Quantities moi exc,ec-
IN 1871. Stephanus stephen Van Courtandt.
wAOsr father Was one Of The first Az esmen, Wa
bauye born Mayor tho cit' mad. lie WIS a
Merchant and large prop ny holder. ana
STREET which ran through one Of ms
farMs. T. ncois Rombouis. a lren. nan
Nicholas Balsrd succ,-siNeiy ulle1 tnv MAYORS
snnir. b'ysrd's was cneeeered life. Dnuns
the Leslrr rebellion he tod s,G,s With the ais
tocrAtic iacion. was sentenced To oe1t'. re-
leased. ana then honors were sh wered upon
HIM Inc Bayard Farm. on the west side Of
tue Boaer', owe Canal street, win otner es-
tates, was his. Daring his term Vf cnice the
JeNs were interdicted from holding puDhc wOl-
,Dip.
In 1888 New YorS entered on a new stage Of
ITS manl-lp4i If. TIE Dofgun chhrier, whicn
siili TOMS tie OASIS OF the ciiy's rshis and
privileges, was granted. by tbs instrument Tue
oose,"Il .r''dtp sb III, "tt',"'r, i,cb con-
stable. town clerk. aud clerk Of the a. rkets.
leaving tie Alurineu, y -ls..n.-. and pcttN
colstDties to % elected ~ .us 40. 'e. Ia lo'v
tie great OCULAR uiulstn- @uctr jacob j. isisi,
the people, took place. ana ~ VA. .,st' l.,
oder of TIE tuf.lAittee q - ~, tne people
assembled IN their wards auG ,ie, ed tleir
A icrmcn. CoLuciinet, al d, ius tie met u.ne.
taeir Mayor usp. licttr litl1hub cil-"u
Mayor, Whas "a Tie same fi..c -.,. % n.- ' "a
tputuan ~ canned 20 hoii ne NE hi al i'ni nt-
utnt. Delaney took post 40 70 Ut Too cry
Hal. Out hi- rVui hau : - the charter -.
ssais ana p"pers. Inc heN ~ tirct"- Nai"r
t,ut TO demand the latter tut WItnuut @, al.
Zoe Lei-ler rebellion h.ius rli down, A'rtl ,m
Dr pcystcr succeeded brinnn', ma t'ir 'nlcr
nom lGel g. ltai nurltg nis administration q
pa ~, c.Ee, wnipti ng post. ana AUG stool
were -. w near the tly ii ii. ind iui hcr IA
tllrVe.. grant. uuruiy vuncA, AID tIu mt
81 iar,n were taken iol rubhc pulishn'nt.
Johannes d. peN ter, osuther % Anraltu. Was
made MAYOR ip loss, nls ina rcliatc pit dcce-s Is
beu. Charie- L'Howick an Nhhhn Merritt.
~ 4rng tue la tiers term ol I'll 10 tns famous
IfAte CAPT. had, who lad o,cu iNlu- IA e. ste
inine city. Was sent out b, oroer u the Gov
eminent 10 orulse against tue iirate- wnp M
It-t4u HIS snort G rcef Nl crime
hi iguuminiuus death nc 10" matters OF lis
Ano"e tne famous MAYORS Of the next fifty
feafs are Jacubus Van CJurtauut, tuleo lea Il
:. t.. Jonn Cruser. ana stephen BiSsrd. Joan
Crus,r. jr.. wIowas ayor from III to i;6.. was
an actVe son Of LitertY. ana Wa made d, thu
uop.l g.. M. custodian If the st.uil = sent from
gland Tor use Ia AeW York. lie VS. ris' a
u,irg-te to the ira Colonial C. ngrcss. David
Matthews. who helu Office dutius tne kev.iu
mon, wHs very different sort II man. hclng a
senil tool Of tue koNaiists anu he Ie- Ipieut OI
u ~ tohen' 81 = pIiaT cohieulpt.
A.. the lteNolu.iun a. soon as tranquility
W restored. tie CITY government was ngaiu
put Ia worhiug or1'r under Tue OH 'ialt, r that
Ile people elected the Alderman anG Assistant
h4erAen of the seven wards, but toe Governor
he'd the appointment Of MAY or. Inc VOICE OF
Co., people WAS listened l. ia IT, IS case. ana 1t
". evident that tne'r cl.irt was Jan, hu ue.
grarVr ot the ~ " who had etunarred D. for
tune ia the G. Use and lot II, ana wu- then iIy-
lue 4IletlS On III rutn'i farm, near Hr.uiefri
pou.meut, ma on tehttArS D. lisi. Re dulN
CuILiuIa-i Jucd aud htlu onlCr uNr yeats.
lLe Mayor then usually krlt hi,f .iiuuf ra
10. ger tlme Ihan no", COY Wen"d Nuoh'
w. had been cret irf t. Cen. VA. IllstIu,
s., ppeihied d. l'ep' AMI cuhilAurG 100 mo- un-
a. lFl, us success Low ara LNinsstvH.-uidius
pIA $50 Y"Hi-,
A w. tiuc rarty spirit ran high between tle
Eeim OF he Nit, Gin "a, VINO was a., 'Inted
Navor Ia less Jana u wuom tue city owes .t-
ir-t free scnt OILS and the iucOrp r.tlou OF IT,,
lnuAr SCHOOL 80 tiety IN 1871, II created ylo-
EN- ioil lcel eontenlions IA me cN. Tue
fDl hsE having succeeded at tie charter
90 tIifu OF 1870, Mayor tUulon Was removed