| George Brinton McClellan, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 12th district |
|
| In office 1895–1903 |
|
| Preceded by | William Bourke Cockran |
| Succeeded by | William Bourke Cockran |
| 93rd Mayor of New York City[1] | |
| In office January 1, 1904 – December 31, 1909 |
|
| Preceded by | Seth Low |
| Succeeded by | William Jay Gaynor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 23, 1865 Dresden, Saxony |
| Died | November 30, 1940 (aged 75) Washington, DC |
| Spouse(s) | Georgiana Louise Heckscher (b.1863 – d.1952) |
George Brinton McClellan, Jr., (November 23, 1865 – November 30, 1940) was an American politician, statesman, and educator. The son of American Civil War general and presidential candidate George B. McClellan, he served as Mayor of New York City from 1904 to 1909.[2]
Contents |
McClellan, known to his family as "Max", was born in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony (Germany), where his parents were visiting. He went to school in Trenton, New Jersey, where his father was Governor of New Jersey and later Saint John's School in Ossining, New York. From 1885 to 1888 he served in the New York Army National Guard.[3] He received his Bachelor of Arts degree at Princeton in 1886 and his Master of Arts in 1889; Princeton, Fordham University, and Union College later gave him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. After leaving school, he engaged in reportorial and editorial work on the New York World and other newspapers. In 1892 he was admitted to the bar. He served for some time as secretary and treasurer of the New York and Brooklyn Bridge.
In 1892, he was elected President of the Board of Aldermen of New York City for the following two years, and for a part of 1894 he served as acting mayor while still in his twenties. His success and popularity enabled him in 1895 to become United States Congressman (as a Democrat), a position he held until resigning to become Mayor in late 1903. In Congress, he was a prominent member of the Ways and Means Committee. In November 1903, McClellan defeated the sitting Mayor, Seth Low (independent Fusion), for a two-year term. He was re-elected in 1905, after the restoration of four-year mayoral terms, but not considered for a third term in 1909. [See New York City mayoral elections#1897 to 1913.]
Throughout his political career he remained interested in education and in 1906 he was made chancellor of Union College. At Princeton he delivered the Stafford Little lectures on public affairs (1908–1910), served as university lecturer (1911–1912), and was then appointed professor of economic history.
He is notable in the history of movie censorship for canceling all moving-picture exhibition licenses on Christmas Eve 1908, claiming that the new medium degraded the morals of the community and that celluloid film was an unacceptable fire hazard.[4]
One of the more famous stories about him occurred on October 27, 1904. On that day, the Interborough Rapid Transit, New York City's first subway, opened. McClellan was to start the first train at the City Hall Station, and then hand it over to an IRT motorman. However, he was enjoying himself so much, he refused to give up the controls until the train reached 103rd street station.
McClellan served in World War I entering the Army as major assigned to the Ordnance Department in May 1917 and he was honorably discharged in May 1919 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He died childless on November 30, 1940, one week after his 75th birthday, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[3][5]
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William B. Cockran |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 12th congressional district March 4, 1895 – December 21, 1903 |
Succeeded by William B. Cockran |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Seth Low |
Mayor of New York City 1904 to 1909 |
Succeeded by William Jay Gaynor |
|
|
|||||||