John Purroy Mitchell
| John Purroy Mitchel | |
|---|---|
Mayor John Purroy Mitchel, 1914
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| 95th Mayor of New York City | |
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In office January 1, 1914 – December 31, 1917 |
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| Preceded by | Ardolph Loges Kline |
| Succeeded by | John Francis Hylan |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 19, 1879 Fordham (The Bronx, New York) |
| Died | July 6, 1918 (aged 38) Lake Charles, Louisiana |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery (The Bronx, New York) |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Olive Child |
| Parents | James Mitchel Mary Purroy |
| Alma mater |
Columbia College New York Law School |
| Occupation | Attorney |
John Purroy Mitchel (July 19, 1879 – July 6, 1918) was the 95th mayor of New York from 1914 to 1917. At age 34 he was the second-youngest ever; he is sometimes referred to as "The Boy Mayor of New York." Mayor Mitchel is remembered for his short career as leader of Reform politics in New York as well as for his early death as a US Army Air Service officer in the last months of World War I. Mitchel's staunchly Catholic New York family had been founded by his paternal grandfather and namesake John Mitchel, an Ulster Presbyterian Young Irelander who became a renowned writer and leader in the Irish independence movement, as well as a staunch supporter of the Confederate States of America.
Reformers praised him. Oswald Garrison Villard, the editor of The Nation, said he was "the ablest and best Mayor New York ever had." Former President Theodore Roosevelt, endorsing Mitchel's re-election bid in 1917, stated that he had "given us as nearly an ideal administration of the New York City government as I have seen in my lifetime." However, even his staunchest supporters admitted he was a poor politician who was too aloof from the ordinary voters and too concerned with "scientific" urban management. He still won in a landslide in 1913 but lost the Republican primary in 1917.
John Purroy Mitchel was born on July 19, 1879 at Fordham, Bronx, New York City to James Mitchel, a New York City fire marshal, and Mary Purroy who worked as a schoolteacher until her marriage. His father James was a veteran of the Confederate States army and two of his uncles had been killed fighting for the Confederacy. His grandfather, Venezuelan-born Juan Bautista Purroy, was that country's consul in New York, which made Purroy the first Mayor of New York City of Latino descent. The Purroy family also included leading politicians in The Bronx. He graduated from a Catholic secondary school at Fordham Preparatory School in the late 1890s. He obtained his bachelor's degree from Columbia College in 1899 and graduated from New York Law School in 1902 with honors. Mitchel then pursued a career as a private attorney.
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