William C. Farr
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William C. Farr (1841 – 1921) was the fifth mayor of Bayonne, New Jersey from 1891 to 1895.
Born on March 13, 1844 in Gettenbach, near Frankfurt-am-Main, in Germany, Farr immigrated to the United States in 1861. After arriving in Baltimore, Farr moved to Bayonne, New Jersey in 1862. On May 31, 1863, he married Mary Dorethea Schmidt; they had five children together. After a time operating a canal boat, Farr became successful in business running a contracting firm in Bayonne.
He became a Republican and was elected mayor of Bayonne in 1891. Farr served two terms as mayor and was instrumental in bringing water and electricity to Bayonne. He was succeeded by Democrat Egbert Seymour in 1895. Farr retired from business a wealthy man. He donated money to a number of charities including the German Lutheran Hospital in New York City.
Farr died on February 14, 1921 in his home at age 77 of influenza. He is buried in Moravian Cemetery on Staten Island. Coincidently, Seymour, his successor, had also died of influenza only eight days before.
