John Purroy Mitchel | |
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| 95thMayor of New York City | |
| In office January 1, 1914 – December 31, 1917 | |
| Preceded by | Ardolph Loges Kline |
| Succeeded by | John Francis Hylan |
| 34thCollector of the Port of New York | |
| In office June 7, 1913 – December 31, 1913 | |
| Appointed by | Woodrow Wilson |
| Preceded by | William Loeb Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Dudley Field Malone |
| 3rd President of theNew York City Board of Aldermen | |
| In office January 1, 1910 – June 7, 1913 | |
| Preceded by | Patrick F. McGowan |
| Succeeded by | Ardolph L. Kline |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1879-07-19)July 19, 1879 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | July 6, 1918(1918-07-06) (aged 38) Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Parent(s) | James Mitchel Mary Purroy |
| Alma mater | Columbia University New York Law School |
| Occupation | Attorney |
John Purroy Mitchel (July 19, 1879 – July 6, 1918) was the 95thmayor of New York, in office from 1914 to 1917.[1][2] At 34, he was the second-youngest mayor of the city, and was sometimes referred to as the "Boy Mayor of New York". Mitchel won the 1913 mayoral election in a landslide, but lost theRepublican primary in1917 and came in second place in the general election as an Independent. He is remembered for his short career as leader of anti-Tammany Hall reform politics in New York, as well as for his early death as anArmy Air Service officer during a training flight in Louisiana amidWorld War I.[1]
Mitchel was praised by reformists in New York. JournalistOswald Garrison Villard, the editor ofThe Nation, called him "the ablest and best Mayor New York ever had."[3] Former PresidentTheodore Roosevelt, endorsing Mitchel's re-election bid in 1917, stated that he had "given us as nearly an ideal administration of the New York City government as I have seen in my lifetime."[3] However, he is generally held to have been ineffective as a politician.[4][5]
Mitchel's later staunchlyRoman Catholic New York family had been founded by his paternal grandfather and namesake,John Mitchel, anUlster PresbyterianYoung Irelander who became a renowned writer and leader in theIrish nationalist movement, as well as a staunch supporter of theConfederacy.
John Purroy Mitchel was born on July 19, 1879, inFordham, the Bronx, to James Mitchel, a New York City fire marshal, and Mary Purroy, who worked as a schoolteacher until her marriage. James had served in theConfederate States Army, as did two of his brothers who died in action during the Civil War. James was aPresbyterianIrish-American, the son ofIrish nationalist writerJohn Mitchel.
John's maternal grandfather, Venezuelan-born Juan Bautista Purroy, was that country's consul in New York, which made Mitchel the first Mayor of New York City ofHispanic descent. Mitchel's great-grandfather, José Joaquin de Purroy, was a lawyer from Spain who settled in Venezuela.[6] The Purroy family also included leading politicians inthe Bronx.
John graduated fromFordham Preparatory School in the late 1890s, obtaining a bachelor's degree fromColumbia College in 1899 and graduating fromNew York Law School in 1902 with honors. Mitchel then pursued a career as a private attorney.[7]
In December 1906, Mitchel was hired by family friend and New York City corporation counsel William B. Ellison to investigate the office ofJohn F. Ahearn,borough president of Manhattan, leading to Ahearn's dismissal. Mitchel began his career as assistant corporation counsel and then became a member of the Commissioners of Accounts, from which he investigated city departments. Mitchel gained results and recognition for his thorough and professional investigations into various city departments and high-ranking officials. Mitchel, with the help ofHenry Bruere and other staff members of the Bureau of Municipal Research turned the insignificant Commissioners of Accounts into an administration of importance.[7]
The young Mitchel's reputation as a reformer earned him the support of anti-Tammany Hall forces in local politics. In 1909, Mitchel was elected president of theBoard of Aldermen. As president of the board of aldermen, Mitchel was able to enact fiscal reforms, cutting waste and improving accounting practices. He unsuccessfully fought for a municipally-owned transit system, and voted against allowing the Interborough Rapid Transit and Brooklyn Rapid Transit companies permission to extend their existing subway and elevated lines. Mitchel served as acting mayor for a six-week period in 1910, after incumbentWilliam Jay Gaynor was shot. His biggest accomplishment during his short tenure was the act of neutrality during a garment industry strike.[7]
As the 1913 mayoral election approached, the Citizens Municipal Committee of 107 set out to find a candidate that would give New York "a non-partisan, efficient and progressive government." They were assisted in this endeavor by the Fusion Executive Committee, led by Joseph M. Price of theCity Club of New York.[8] After nine ballots, Mitchel was nominated as a candidate for mayor. During his campaign, Mitchel focused on modernizing and fighting corruption in the city government.[7]
At the age of 34, Mitchel was elected mayor on theRepublican Party slate in a landslide. He defeated Democratic candidateEdward E. McCall by 121,000 votes, thus becoming the second youngest mayor ofNew York City; he was often referred to as the "Boy Mayor of New York."
Mitchel's administration introduced widespread reforms, particularly in theNew York City Police Department as overseen by Police CommissionerArthur Woods. Woods fought corruption in the department and increased its efficiency and scope in attacking crime.[9] His administration was neutral during garment and transportation worker's strikes in 1916.[7]
At 1:30 P.M., on April 17, 1914,Michael P. Mahoney fired a gun at Mitchel as the mayor was getting in his car. The bullet ricocheted off a pedestrian and hitFrank Lyon Polk, New York City'scorporation counsel, in the chin.[10]
Mitchel's early popularity was soon diminished due to his fiscal policies and vision of education. Mitchel was heavily criticized for combining vocational and academic courses in theGary Plan, and began to trim the size of the Board of Education and attempted to control teachers' salaries.[7] While Mitchel was a Catholic, he alienated that voting bloc by his investigation into corruption in Catholic charities.
Mitchel advocated for universal military training toprepare for war. In a speech atPrinceton University on March 1, 1917, he described universal military training as "the [only] truly democratic solution to the problem of preparedness on land." These positions alienated New Yorkers, who felt he focused on military patriotism over politics.[7]
Mitchel ran again for mayor in the highly charged wartime election of 1917. His reelection campaign suffered, as many New Yorkers felt he cared more about American involvement inWorld War I, socializing with the city's elite, and fiscal management than local issues.[7] He narrowly lost the Republican primary toWilliam M. Bennett after a contentious recount, but then ran for re-election as a pro-war Fusion candidate.
Mitchel's campaign focused on wartime patriotism, with a media campaign that denounced Germans, Irish, and Jews as unpatriotic sympathizers with theenemy cause. Mitchel faced Bennett, anti-warSocialistMorris Hillquit, andTammany Hall DemocratJohn F. Hylan in the general election; Hylan, whose campaign was sharply critical of Mitchel, won in a landslide without taking a clear position on the war, while Mitchel barely finished in second place ahead of Hillquit.[11]
After losing re-election, Mitchel joined theArmy Air Service as a flying cadet, completing training inSan Diego and obtaining the rank of major.[12] On the morning of July 6, 1918, while returning from a short military training flight toGerstner Field nearLake Charles, Louisiana, his plane suddenly went into a nosedive, causing him to fall from his plane due to an unfastened seatbelt.[1][12] Mitchel plummeted 500 feet (150 m) to his death, his body landing in a marsh about 0.5 miles south of the field.[12]
Mitchel's body was returned to New York City. His funeral was held atSaint Patrick's Cathedral inManhattan, and he was buried inWoodlawn Cemetery inthe Bronx on July 11, 1918.[13][12]
Historian Mark D. Hirsch has said of Mitchel's tenure as mayor:[4]
He was one of the ablest mayors in the judgments of many and provided an outstanding administration, but was exasperatingly guilty of every blunder that could be attributed to youthful stubbornness, unnecessary asperity, and poor judgment both by himself and his advisers.
A 1993 survey of historians, political scientists and urban experts conducted by Melvin G. Holli of theUniversity of Illinois Chicago ranked Mitchel as the seventeenth-worst American big-city mayor to have served since 1820.[5]
Mitchel Air Force Base onLong Island was named for him in 1918.[14] A bronze memorial plaque with Mitchel's likeness is affixed between the two stone pylons at the western end ofHamilton Hall atColumbia University. A plaque of his likeness is located on an entrance to the base of theJacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir jogging track inCentral Park.[15]
TheFire Department of New York operated afireboat namedJohn Purroy Mitchel from 1921 to 1966.[16]
American singer-songwriterJoanna Newsom's 2015 song "Sapokanikan" references Mitchel and the circumstances of his death.[citation needed]
Funeral services for the late Major John Purroy Mitchel will be held at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Thursday morning, it was decided yesterday, because the number of those seeking to attend the funeral was far too great for the Church of St. Francis Xavier. Although the seating capacity of the cathedral is 4,400, it will be necessary to restrict admittance to those holding Cards.
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| Preceded by | Mayor of New York City 1914—1917 | Succeeded by |
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