The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-12-27
1917 REALTY SLUMP
HELPED bob MORAN
Business Reverse Proved Bless
ing in Disguise for Next
President Of Aldermen.

If the big real estate slump had not
come in 1907 Robert L. Moran might
not be taking up the reins as President
of the Board of Aldermen Of the city
Of New York when Gov.-elect Smith
lays them down next Tuesday at mid
night. Then again he might, for al
though the redheaded Aldermanic
leader now halls from The Bronx. he
was born in 1884 on the East Side. and
in the outskirts of the Gas House dis
trict at that, and It has always been
hard to keep an Irish lad from there
out Of Tammany politics.
Anyway, It did not just happen that
Bob" Moran at the age of thirty-six
is finding his way into the third place
on the Board of Estimate. He had
never met Charles F. Murphy, the
Tammany boss. until after the cleo
ton OF President Smith as the Demo-
cratic nominee for Governor at Sara
toga last July. but he has had a good
political coach and friend in Arthur
F. Murphy. the Democratic leader In
The Bronx.
Grew Tired of school.
Moran began like many another boy
amid the hurry burly life OF the Gas
House district, and was a sturdy, self
reliant fighter when Sergeant Eugene
Moran of the park police moved with
his family TO the more sparsely settled
regions Of The Bronx. Stirred by a
restless ambition TO get ahead. and
lacking the judgment then that he has
now. young Moran left school before
he had finished his course at PubliC
School No 100
When, after a few years OF hard
knocks. he found that II was a mis-
take not to have a better education he
did not give up work. but he gave ur
his evenings to study. He took a tw,
ears business course. then entered q
real estate class at the Y. NJ. c. A. Blu
that did not satisfy him and he pur.
sued special studies at the New YORK
University Night School for severa
| years.
After serving an apprenticeship II
, a real estate office for nine years h,
/ started out for himself and became 81
| interested and successful that had /
not been that the bottom dropped on
! of the market in 1907 Moran might no
! have had time to run for the Board n
Aldermen and since then IN have dc
voted much OF his time to getting pro
| t'cient in. the duties OF that Office an,
the business OF the city in general.
Saves Bronx Democrats.
Business had not picked up To an,
great extent when five years ago tn
Bronx Democrats picked him to re
deem an AldermaniC district from tn
fusionists. He was elected Natural,
quiet and with no experience as
speaker Moran did not make any Grea
impression in the board at first Grad
ually, however, his influence on com
mittees began to tell. His knowledg
sf the work was so obvious that, whei
Frank l.. Bowling succeeded Borough
President McAneny. Moran,was pickle
to succeed Bowling as Democrat
floor leader. Later he was electe
vice-chairman - the board and wa
reelected when the board was reorgan
lied In 1917
Although he is red headed. Mora
never gets excited. His rudy fac
takes on deeper color, maybe, but h
just sits tight and thinks hard until h
masters the situation. At least. tina
is what his friends say of him. He
bachelor and likes to spend niue
time with his mother. He is fond c
golf and baseball and long walk
across the fields. Being perfect
frank. ne acknowledged yesterday tina
be likes n glass of beer with a frien
after strenuous exercise; which is hi
way of saying that he does not fave
prohibition, although 1t is coming
be delicate issue for any man VIII
has political aspirations.
II Moran makes good as actin
President OF the Board OF Alderme
ne is likely to be the Tammany nom
inee TO succeed himself next fall.