John T. Hoffman
John T. Hoffman | |
---|---|
23rd Governor of New York | |
In office January 1, 1869 – December 31, 1872 | |
Lieutenant | Allen C. Beach |
Preceded by | Reuben E. Fenton |
Succeeded by | John Adams Dix |
78th Mayor of New York City | |
In office January 1, 1866 – November 30, 1868 | |
Preceded by | Charles Godfrey Gunther |
Succeeded by | Thomas Coman |
25th Recorder of New York City | |
In office 1861–1866 | |
Preceded by | George G. Barnard |
Succeeded by | John K. Hackett |
Personal details | |
Born | John Thompson Hoffman January 10, 1828 Ossining, New York |
Died | March 24, 1888 Wiesbaden, Germany | (aged 60)
Resting place | Dale Cemetery, Ossining, New York |
Political party | Democratic |
Profession | Attorney |
Signature | |
John Thompson Hoffman (January 10, 1828 – March 24, 1888) was the
Early life
He was born in Ossining in Westchester County, New York. He was the son of Jane Ann (Thompson) and Adrian Kissam Hoffman, a physician in Westchester County. His father's parents, Philip L. Hoffman and Helena Kissam, were "among the most valuable members of early society in New York, and the founders of many public charities and benevolent works," Harper's Weekly effused.[1]
He attended Union College starting in 1843 in the junior class, but had to leave for a time due to ill health, eventually graduating in 1846. He then studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1849 and practiced in Manhattan.[1]
Hoffman became active in the Tammany Hall faction of the Democratic Party. He was a member of the New York State Democratic Central Committee beginning in 1848, and served as New York City Recorder from 1861 to 1866. Hoffman served as mayor of New York City from 1866 to 1868. from 1866 to 1868 he was Grand Sachem, or leader, of the Tammany Hall organization.
High hopes of reformers
When he was elected mayor in 1865, reformers had high hopes for him. A front-page article in Harper's Weekly intoned:
It is many years since the city of New York has chosen for her Chief Magistrate a man of the position and reputation of John T. Hoffman. He is not only a gentleman of high social position, but a lawyer of distinction, a judge of eminent probity, a representative by descent of some of the oldest New York families, a citizen of unblemished reputation ...[1]
Guilt by association
Hoffman was elected governor in
In actuality, while Tweed did frequently see Hoffman in Albany on various votes and projects, it was no more than any other major Democrat in New York State. But they worked harmoniously together, and Tweed aided Hoffman in getting re-elected in
Death
Hoffman died at age 60 in Wiesbaden, Germany on March 24, 1888, while traveling in Europe with family members, as he did each winter.[2] He was buried at Dale Cemetery in Ossining.
Legacy
- Hoffman Island is named for him.[3]
References
- ^ a b c "John T. Hoffman, Mayor-Elect of New York City". Harper's Weekly. December 23, 1865. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
- ^ "Death Of Ex-Gov. Hoffman. Stricken By Heart Disease In A Foreign Land. Sketch Of His Life. How He Became Prominent In Politics And Suddenly Sank Into Oblivion". The New York Times. March 25, 1888. p. 5. Retrieved April 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
Ex-Gov. John T. Hoffman died suddenly of heart disease yesterday morning at Wiesbaden, Germany. His death was announced to Edward R. Johnes of the law firm of Johnes, Willcox Purdy, with which the ex-Governor had been connected for the past year or two, by ...
- Newspapers.com.
Further reading
- Kenneth D. Ackerman, Boss Tweed: The Rise and Fall of the Corrupt Pol Who Conceived the Soul of Modern New York. New York: Carroll & Graf, Publishers, 2005, 2006. ISBN 0-7867-1686-X.
- Leo Hershkovitz, Tweed's New York: Another Look. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1977. ISBN 0-385-07656-8.
- David Quigley, Second Founding: New York City, Reconstruction, and the Making of American Democracy. New York: Hill & Wang/ Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004. ISBN 0-8090-8514-3. This meaty little book discusses the conflicts between the political parties in New York State regarding constitutional changes in the 1860s and 1870s. Hoffman is discussed on pages 9, 60–61, 63–65, 78, 87, and 94.