Commissioner of Docks and Ferries of the City of New York

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File:New York - Docks-New York Harbor - NARA - 68146186.jpg
Docks-New York Harbor, 1947

The Commissioner of Docks of New York City was the head of the Department of Docks created by the New York State Legislature's 1870 revision of the New York City Charter, which returned numerous powers to the city government that had previously been taken by the state. This version of the city charter was known as the "Tweed Charter", after its main advocate William M. "Boss" Tweed, who controlled much of local politics via the Tammany Hall political ring. At the time the charter revision passed, he was a state senator representing the Fourth District in Manhattan.[1]

The Commissioner of Docks originally consisted of "a board consisting of five persons... appointed by the Mayor... who shall hold office for a term of five years." Their duties were established and defined by the commissioners of the sinking fund, which was responsible for all aspects of the city's borrowing and debt. Money for the repair and construction of wharves, piers, and slips was originally limited by the charter to $350,000, but the loose wording in this section of the charter allowed for many other expenses that quickly opened the commission to accusations of corruption, as was the case with numerous other city agencies that were controlled by Tammany Hall.[2][3][4]

In 1873, the state legislature passed a charter revision, making the dock board a three-member commission.[5]

Accusations of poor oversight of the docks and piers, and of the department's finances, were made from time to time, but in 1889, a scandal erupted.[6][7][8] Two of the Dock Commissioners were charged by Mayor Hugh J. Grant with three counts of corruption – "neglect and malfeasance in office", "failure to observe and enforce provisions of law...", and "failure to acquaint themselves with the duties and necessities of the Department of Docks..."[9] The accused commissioners countered that they had acted no differently than previous commissioners had done for decades, and that the mayor, who was a Tammany Hall crony, did not charge the third dock commissioner because he was also a Tammany Hall colleague.[10] They were not removed from their jobs, and accusations others not collecting rents from leases of piers continued over the years.[11][12]

The department was renamed the Department of Docks and Ferries in the city charter revision of 1897.[13] The head of the department was made a one-person commissioner, with a deputy, by the city charter revision of 1901.[14] The department was renamed the Department of Marine and Aviation effective January 1, 1942.

List of commissioners

Name Dates in Office Mayoral Administration Notes and References
As a Five-Person Commission Appointed by the Mayor
John T. Agnew (President)
Hugh Smith (Treasurer)
Wilson G. Hunt
William Wood
Richard M. Henry		 April 11, 1870 – September 1, 1870 A. Oakey Hall [15][16]
John T. Agnew (President)
Henry A. Smith (Treasurer)
Wilson G. Hunt
William Wood
Richard M. Henry		 September 1, 1870 – January 3, 1872 A. Oakey Hall [17][18]
John T. Agnew (President)
John Grenville Kane (Treasurer)
Wilson G. Hunt
William Wood
Richard M. Henry		 January 3, 1872 – May 21, 1873 A. Oakey Hall
William F. Havemeyer		 [18]
As a Three-Person Commission Appointed by the Mayor
Jacob A. Westervelt (President)
William Budd (Treasurer)
William Gardner		 May 22, 1873 – December 4, 1874 William F. Havemeyer
Samuel B. H. Vance		 [19][20]
Jacob A. Westervelt (President)
William Budd (Treasurer)
vacant		 December 4, 1874 – December 11, 1874 Samuel B. H. Vance [21]
Jacob A. Westervelt (President)
William Budd (Treasurer)
Salem H. Wales		 December 11, 1874 – early 1875 William H. Wickham [21]
Salem Howe Wales (President)
William Budd (Treasurer)
Jacob A. Westervelt		 early 1875 – March 1877 William H. Wickham
Smith Ely Jr.		 [21]
Jacob A. Westervelt (President)
Jacob Vanderpoel (Treasurer)
Henry F. Dimock		 July 11, 1877 – February 21, 1879 Smith Ely Jr.
Edward Cooper		 [22][23]
Henry F. Dimock (President)
Jacob Vanderpoel (Treasurer)
vacant		 February 21, 1879 – December 10, 1880 Edward Cooper [24][25][26]
Henry F. Dimock (President)
Jacob Vanderpoel (Treasurer)
William Laimbeer Jr.		 December 10, 1880 – September 13, 1881 Edward Cooper
William R. Grace (1st term)		 [24][25][26][27]
John R. Voorhis (President)
Jacob Vanderpoel (Treasurer)
William Laimbeer Jr.		 September 13, 1881 – May 3, 1882 William R. Grace (1st term) [28][29]
William Laimbeer Jr. (President)
Jacob Vanderpoel (Treasurer)
John R. Voorhis		 May 3, 1882 – February 14, 1883 William R. Grace (1st term)
Franklin Edson		 [30][31]
William Laimbeer Jr. (President)
John R. Voorhis (Temporary Treasurer)
vacant		 February 14, 1883 – May 9, 1883 Franklin Edson [31][32]
Lucius J.N. Stark (President)
John R. Voorhis (Treasurer)
William Laimbeer Jr.
 May 9, 1883 – May 9, 1885 Franklin Edson [33][34][35][36]
Joseph Koch (President)
James Matthews (Treasurer)
Lucius J.N. Stark		 May 9, 1885 – late 1886 or early 1887 William R. Grace (2nd term) [35][36][37]
Lucius J.N. Stark (President)
James Matthews (Treasurer)
Joseph Koch		 late 1886 or early 1887 Abram Hewitt
Lucius J.N. Stark (President)
James Matthews (Treasurer)
Charles H. Marshall		 May 9, 1887 – May 22, 1888 Abram Hewitt [38]
Lucius J.N. Stark (President)
James Matthews (Treasurer)
Edwin A. Post		 May 22, 1888 – November 9, 1888 Abram Hewitt [39][40]
Edwin A. Post (President)
James Matthews (Treasurer)
vacant		 November 9, 1888 – December 21, 1888 Abram Hewitt [40][41]
Edwin A. Post (President)
James Matthews (Treasurer)
Charles A. Silliman		 December 21, 1888 – May 22, 1889 Abram Hewitt
Hugh J. Grant		 [41][42]
Edwin A. Post (President)
James Matthews (Treasurer)
J. Sergeant Cram		 May 22, 1889 – May 29, 1891 Hugh J. Grant [42][43]
Edwin A. Post (President)
James J. Phelan (Treasurer)
J. Sergeant Cram		 May 29, 1891 – May 1, 1893 Hugh J. Grant [43][44]
J. Sergeant Cram (President)
James J. Phelan (Treasurer)
Andrew J. White		 May 1, 1893 – March 21, 1895 Thomas F. Gilroy
William L. Strong		 [44][45]
J. Sergeant Cram (President)
James J. Phelan (Treasurer)
Edward C. O'Brien		 March 21, 1895 – March 23, 1895 William L. Strong [45][46]
Edward C. O'Brien (President)
James J. Phelan (Treasurer)
Edwin Einstein		 March 23, 1895 - May 6, 1895 William L. Strong [46][47]
Edward C. O'Brien (President)
Edwin Einstein (Treasurer)
John Monks		 May 6, 1895 – December 31, 1897 William L. Strong [47]
J. Sergeant Cram (President)
Charles F. Murphy (Treasurer)
Peter F. Meyer		 January 1, 1898 – January 1, 1902 Robert Van Wyck [48]
As a Single Person Appointed by the Mayor
McDougall Hawkes January 1, 1902 – January 1, 1903 Seth Low [49]
Maurice Featherson January 1, 1904 – January 1, 1904 George Brinton McClellan, Jr. [50][51]
John A. Bensel January 1, 1904 – January 30, 1908 George Brinton McClellan, Jr. [51][52]
vacant January 30, 1908 – February 10, 1908
Allan Newhall Spooner February 10, 1908 – July 1, 1909 George Brinton McClellan, Jr. [53][54]
Calvin Tomkins January 2, 1910 – April 2, 1913 George Brinton McClellan, Jr.,
William Jay Gaynor		 [54][55]
Robert A.C. Smith April 2, 1913 – December 31, 1917 William Jay Gaynor
John Purroy Mitchel		 [55][56]
Murray Hulbert January 1, 1918 – December 31, 1921 John F. Hylan [56][57]
John H. Delaney January 1, 1922 – June 30, 1924 John F. Hylan [57][58]
Michael J. Cosgrove July 1, 1924 – April 30, 1931 John F. Hylan
Jimmy Walker		 died in office[58][59][60]
vacant April 30, 1931 – May 25, 1931
John McKenzie May 25, 1931 – December 31, 1941 Jimmy Walker,
Joseph V. McKee,
John P. O'Brien,
Fiorello H. La Guardia		 became commissioner of the successor
Department of Marine and Aviation[61][62]

References

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  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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