1.
Robert Van Wyck was the first mayor of the unified City of New York. Coming
from a long lineage of New Yorkers, Van Wyck followed in his father’s footsteps and
became both an attorney as well as a believer in democratic traditions (Cutter). Following
a stint as chief justice for the New York City Court, Van Wyck gained the attention of
prominent Tammany Hall supporters and was nominated to run on the democratic
platform for mayor of the newly unified City of New York (Van Wyck,WSJ). The City of
New York, as it is currently known, consists of 5 boroughs including: King’s County
(Brooklyn), Queens County, Bronx County, New York County (Manhattan), and
Richmond County (Staten Island). Following the unification of the individual cities, now
the 5 boroughs, New York City was known as Greater New York (Historical Info.). New
York City sought consolidation as a way to essentially combine assets from the
neighboring cities and use these additional assets as a way to further position New York
as one of the largest and most prosperous cities in the world (Revell, 2). The residents of
all five boroughs voted in a referendum in 1895 to decide whether to merge and form one
unified city, and the election results favored the referendum (Historical Info.). As a result
of the impending consolidation, the mayors from the other cities, including the cities of
Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Long Island City lost their tenure and were ousted from office.
The transfer of power from multiple leaders to one chief executive symbolized the
changing atmosphere of the city and led to a more unified New York, in more ways than
one. The plan for a new New York was officially adopted on January 1, 1898. On that
day, three former mayors showed solidarity for the newly created office and welcomed
incoming Mayor Van Wyck. During his inauguration, Mayor Van Wyck made what
appeared to be a two-sentence speech in rebuttal to ex-mayor Strong’s warm wishes.
“Mr. Mayor, the people haven chosen me to be Mayor. I shall say whatever I have to say
to them”(Heml, NYT). The two-sentence speech reflected Mayor Van Wyck’s intentions
for the office and how he planned to run his administration. Popular media suggests that
Robert Van Wyck was a small man in stature, friendly, hard-working, devoted, reclusive,
and corrupt (Herszenhorn). Conversely, around the time of his inauguration, while these
results are not completely certain, they lead an individual to better understand of Mayor
Van Wyck's background and personality in addition to the vision he had for the newly
created city. While Mayor Van Wyck’s speech lacked arrangement, invention, and any
sense of preparedness, his speech was spontaneous and strong. The mayor’s ability to
convey such qualities to the audience in only a few words demonstrates his effectiveness
as a candidate and as a political leader.
2.
Election results for the mayoral election of 1898 are difficult to come by. Several
non-official blog posts claim certain election results but for lack of confirmation and
credibility, they will be ignored. In lieu of positive data, these are the results of the more
critical referendum on whether to unify the individual cities surrounding Manhattan and
Greater New York City, which led to the creation of the mayoral position for New York
City. According to the 1895 referendum, “…by a note of 176,170 to 131,706” the
referendum passed all five-boroughs with just 300 votes by the City of Brooklyn in favor
of the referendum (Historical Info.). These results indicate an initial distaste by the
former City of Brooklyn for the unification of the cities. Accordingly, Brooklyn was an
innovator in manufacturing and the transportation industry; as a result the borough was
reluctant to share in their wealth and prosperity with other less affluent boroughs (Reis,
25). The election results reflect the forthcoming challenges that the newly unified city
had to encounter.
3.
The title of Mayor for the City of New York was officially established following
the unification of the 5-independent boroughs that now encompass New York City
including Brooklyn County, Queens County, Bronx County, New York County, and
Richmond County (Staten Island). Prior to the merger, each independent borough was
considered its own city with its own governing body. The creation of the City of New
York led to the consolidation of ninety-six governmental agencies/departments (Revell,
2). Along with the consolidation came the ousting of the mayors from the formerly
independent cities and the appointment of the Mayor of New York.
Robert Van Wyck attended Columbia University Law School and was a
prominent member of Tammy Hall (Elected Mayors). Van Wyck held the position of
chief judge for the New York City court (Elected Mayors). Through his participation
with the political organization, he was nominated in September of 1897 to run on the
democratic platform for the newly established position of Mayor (Van Wyck, WSJ).
While information regarding the unification of New York and the surrounding elections
are scares, it is a widely established fact that Van Wyck was not an active public speaker.
In fact, Van Wyck gave no formal addresses during his campaign (Herszenhorn).
4.
Mayor Van Wyck was sworn in at City Hall on New Years Day 1898 at noon
(Helm, NYT). City hall was newly renovated so guests were wandering about the freshly
reconstructed building. The festivities of the inauguration lasted several hours and
included live music, rooms decorated with flags, and celebratory flowers (Herszenhorn).
An estimated 3,000 people were in attendance. During the festivities approximately 25
police officers were present to keep order (Herszenhorn). Some of the more prominent
figures that were in attendance at the inauguration were the three former mayors of the
cities of Brooklyn, Long Island City, and Manhattan. The soon-to-be mayor arrived with
his brother and entered without praise or excitement through a back entryway (Helm,
NYT). The ceremony started with the former Mayor of Manhattan, William L. Strong,
offering a congratulatory note to the incoming officer. Mayor Van Wyck returned Mayor
Strong’s kind words of praise and encouragement with what became his two-sentence
inaugural speech, “ Mr. Mayor, the people have chosen me to be Mayor. I shall say
whatever I have to say to them”. According to the New York Times, the mayor then met
with his constituents, shaking hands for several hours before taking off to attend to
business (Helm, NYT).
5.
The fact that Mayor Van Wyck’s inaugural address was a mere two-sentences
long reflects his distaste for public speaking. Hard evidence is difficult to come by,
however the speech appears to have been improvised. The speech lacked many of the
canons of rhetoric including, arraignment, style, and invention. The question arises
whether Van Wyck would have addressed the crowd at all had former Mayor Strong not
offered his congratulatory remarks. The speech shows ill-preparedness and inprovisation,
as well as an apparent --but perhaps not actual-- lack of concern of public opinion.
Perhaps this reflects Mayor Van Wyck’s business-like style of preparations. The mayor
may have been too focused on the job at hand to tackle writing an elaborate inaugural
address.
6.
The New York Times covered the inaugural ceremony for Mayor Van Wyck.
While there is little information regarding the reaction to the two-sentence speech, media
outlets seemed hopeful for the new mayor to start working and further unite the newly
created City of New York. The crowd of 3000 that gathered for the inauguration also
contributes to the notion that the city as a whole was excited about its new future.
7.
Mayor Van Wyck’s inaugural address requires little interpretation and further
understanding. However, after winning the election but prior to his inauguration, Mayor
Van Wyck stated, “It was the election of the people. The people, not I, have won.”
(Mayor Elect, NYT) Van Wyck was insinuating that this job is not about him and what
he can accomplish as an individual. Rather that the new city of New York was to benefit
as a result of holding such a large democratic election representing the will of the people
to create a new government. Insinuating that the people have won also refers to how the
mayor and people of New York must work together in harmony in order to create a more
prosperous and secure city.
8.
Mayor Van Wyck refers to the former mayor of Manhattan, William L. Strong
and the people of New York during his brief inaugural speech. No formal place was
referenced but the assumption can be made that the mayor’s brief remarks were aimed at
the whole of the newly created metropolis. The reference to the newly created city
reflects the idea of constitutive rhetoric wherein the mayor is using the new city to reflect
the forthcoming change in neighborhood association. More precisely, instead of people
being from the City of Brooklyn or Manhattan, people should start considering
themselves New Yorkers. This shift in association would help unify the city and its
people to create more homogenous relations.
9.
“I shall say whatever I have to say to them”. The broad nature of this line from
Mayor Van Wyck’s speech forces the audience to make assumptions regarding its
meaning. As this comment was made in rebuttal to Mayor Strong’s introduction, the tone
of the speech appears blunt and argumentative. The newly incoming mayor alludes to the
point that he no longer has to answer to the ousted Mayor of Manhattan or his
counterparts, that as the newly elected mayor his one and only job is to serve those that
voted him into office and seek his executive guidance regarding city-wide issues. The
quote demonstrates Mayor Van Wyck’s dominance and action-oriented nature.
10.
Use of the term “them” is key to understanding the inauguration of Mayor Van
Wyck. The mayor uses this term to signify his audience and his future responsibilities of
serving as a public figure. “Mr. Mayor” reflects Van Wyck’s professional demeanor and
respect for his predecessors.
11.
Surprisingly, there are few, if not any, books written specifically about New York
City’s first mayor. William Richard Cutter’s novel called, American Biography: A New
Cyclopedia, contains rudimentary information about Richard Van Wyck’s family history,
early life, career, and death. Ronald Reis’ The New York City Subway System, offers
incite into the events surrounding New York’s unification back in the late 1800s.
Works Cited
Cutter, William Richard. American Biography: A New Cyclopedia, Volume 7. New York.
The American Historical Society, Inc. 1931. Web.
“Elected Mayors of New York City 1898-1998”. New York City Government Official
Website. Web Accessed July 26, 2015.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nyc100/html/classroom/hist_info/mayors.html
Herszenhorn, David M. “They All Took the Oath. One Took a Bus.” New York Times
(1923- Current file). January 1, 2002. Web.
“Historical Information, Facts of Life in Greater New York”. New York City
Government Official Website. Web Accessed July 26, 2015.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nyc100/html/classroom/hist_info/nycfacts.html
“Mayor-Elect Van Wyck”. New York Times. November 4, 1897. Web.
<http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B02E7D61F39E433A25757C0A9679
D94669ED7CF>
Reis, Ronald A. The New York City Subway System. Chelsea House Publishing. April,
2009. Web.
Revell, Keith D. Building Gotham: Civic Culture and Public Policy in New York City,
1898-1938. Johns Hopkins University Press: First edition. December 18, 2002. Web.
“Van Wyck At The Helm”. New York Times (1857-1922). January 2, 1898. Web.
“Van Wyck Will be Nominated”. Wall Street Journal (1889-1922). September 30, 1897.
Web accessed via ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Wall Street Journal pg. 4