Bird Sim Coler | |
|---|---|
 Coler in 1908 | |
| 23rdNew York City Comptroller | |
| In office January 1, 1898 – December 31, 1901 | |
| Preceded by | Ashbel P. Fitch(pre-consolidation) |
| Succeeded by | Edward M. Grout |
| 4thBorough President ofBrooklyn | |
| In office January 1, 1906 – December 31, 1909 | |
| Preceded by | Martin W. Littleton |
| Succeeded by | Alfred E. Steers |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 9, 1867 Urbana, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | June 12, 1941(1941-06-12) (aged 73) Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic Municipal Ownership League |
| Spouse | Emily Moore Coler |
| Children | Eugene Bird Coler |
Bird Sim Coler (October 9, 1867Urbana, Illinois – June 12, 1941Brooklyn, New York) was an American stockbroker and politician fromBrooklyn,New York. He served as the firstNew York City Comptroller after the city's1898 consolidation and was the Democratic nominee for Governor of New York in1902. He narrowly lost the election to GovernorBenjamin Odell Jr.
Coler was born on October 9, 1868, inUrbana, Illinois, the son of William N. Coler and Cordelia Sim.[1] The elder Coler established a banking house after the Civil War and brought his family to Brooklyn.[2]
The younger Coler was educated atBrooklyn Polytechnic Institute.[2]
Coler and Emily Moore, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Moore, were married on October 1, 1888. He died on June 12, 1941, in Brooklyn, and she died on August 23, 1941, in the same hospital. They had a son, Eugene Bird Coler.[3][4]
He established himself as astockbroker inNew York City, became prominent in municipal and State politics, and was firstComptroller of Greater New York, from 1897 to 1901. In1902, he was theDemocratic nominee forGovernor of New York, but lost toBenjamin B. Odell Jr., by a small plurality in spite of his enormous lead in New York City.
In 1905 he was elected president of theBorough of Brooklyn, on the Municipal Ownership ticket. For his four-year term, Coler appointedCharles Frederic Adams, aSingle-Tax advocate who had endorsed Coler's earlier run for governor[5], to be the Borough Secretary.[6] In1918, Coler ran unsuccessfully on the Democratic ticket forNew York State Comptroller.
He was the author ofCommercialism in Politics, Two and Two Make Four, He Made Them Twain, and other sociological works.[2]
In 1927, Coler, then the commissioner for public welfare in New York City, investigated "The Santa Claus Association" ofJohn Duval Gluck. The association became embroiled in controversy as a result of dubious fundraising and accounting practices.[7]
Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital onRoosevelt Island bears his name.
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Media related toBird Sim Coler at Wikimedia Commons
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of New York 1902 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Joseph W. Masters | Democratic nominee forNew York State Comptroller 1918 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by New office | New York City Comptroller 1898–1901 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Borough President of Brooklyn 1906–1909 | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
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