Mayors of Bayonne, New Jersey

Bayonne, New Jersey was incorporated on April 1, 1861 as a township. It was reincorporated on March 10, 1869 as a city. It is currently governed within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government (Plan C), implemented based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission as of July 1, 1962,[1] before which it was governed by a Board of Commissioners under the Walsh Act. The governing body consists of a mayor and a five-member city council, of which two seats are elected at-large and three from wards.[2][3] This is a list of mayors of Bayonne, New Jersey.[4][5]

Mayors

Term Mayor Notes
1869–1879 Henry Meigs, Jr. Henry Meigs, Jr. was the first mayor of Bayonne, New Jersey. He took office on March 10, 1869.
1879–1883 Stephen Knowlton Lane
1883–1887 David W. Oliver
1887–1891 John Newman
1891–1895 William C. Farr
1895–1904 Egbert Seymour
1904–1906 Thomas Brady
1906–1910 Pierre Prosper Garven This was his first term.
1910–1912 John J. Cain Cain (July 5, 1861 – January 17, 1937) was the 9th mayor.

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Cain started work as a mechanic and worked for the Babcock & Wilcox Boiler Company in Bayonne. He married Katherine Drudy. Cain became involved in politicsin the early 1900s. In 1910, Cain, a Democrat, defeated the incumbent Pierre P. Garven. Cain was very independent and was many times at odds with the city's Democratic party. The following year, when he ran for re-election, he lost in the Democratic primary to Bayonne's Democratic leader Matthew T. Cronin. Cain lost again in 1914, ending his political career. He died at home after a lengthy illness at age 75. His funeral was at St. Henry's Church in Bayonne. He is buried in Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City.[6]

1912–1914 Matthew T. Cronin
1914–1915 Bert J. Daly This is his first term. Dr. Bert J. Daly served three non-consecutive terms from 1914–1915, 1927–1931 and 1943–1947.
1915–1919 Pierre Prosper Garven This was his second term.
1919–1923 W. Homer Axford He was the director of public affairs on the Bayonne, New Jersey City Commission in 1930. He was head of the X-ray department of the Jersey City Hospital in 1930.[7][8]
1923–1927 Robert J. Talbot
1927–1931 Bert J. Daly This is his second term.
1931–1939 Lucius F. Donohue
1939–1943 James J. Donovan
1943–1947 Bert J. Daly This is his third term.
1947–1951 Charles A. Heiser
1951–1955 Edward F. Clark
1955–1959 G. Thomas DiDomenico [9] Dominico - 16th Street Park is named in his honor.
1959–1962 Alfred V. Brady
1962–1974 Francis G. Fitzpatrick Fitzpatrick Park is named in his honor.[10]
1974–1990 Dennis P. Collins Dennis P. Collins is the longest-serving mayor of Bayonne, New Jersey, serving from 1974 to 1990. He served for 16 years. Collins Park is named for him.
1990–1994 Richard A. Rutkowski Rutowski Park named in his honor.[11]
1994–1998 Leonard P. Kiczek
1998–2007 Joseph Doria
2007–2008 Terrance Malloy
2008–2014 Mark Smith
2014– James Davis [12]

References

  1. ^ "The Faulkner Act: New Jersey's Optional Municipal Charter Law" Archived October 12, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State League of Municipalities, July 2007. Accessed October 29, 2013.
  2. ^ 2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 135.
  3. ^ Broadway National Bank of Bayonne v. Parking Authority, New Jersey Superior Court, Law Division decided August 2, 1962. Via FindACase.com. Accessed November 27, 2011. "The facts are undisputed. The City of Bayonne was governed by a board of commissioners in accordance with the Walsh Act until July 1, 1962.... Mayor-Council Plan C of the Faulkner Act (NJSA 40:69A-1 et seq.) was adopted by referendum in the City of Bayonne and took effect on July 1, 1962."
  4. ^ "Mayors of Bayonne, New Jersey". Political Graveyard. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  5. ^ "Mayors of Bayonne, New Jersey". Bayonne Public Library. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  6. ^ "FORMER MAYOR CAIN OF BAYONNE IS DEAD; Elected for a Two-Year Term in 1909--Ex-Manager of the Babcock & Wilcox Plant". The New York Times. 18 January 1937.
  7. ^ "Dr. Axford Quits Bayonne Post". New York Times. October 19, 1930.
  8. ^ "Dr. W. H. Axford, Bayonne Ex-Mayor. X-Ray Specialist Named Three Times to City Commission". New York Times. September 18, 1942.
  9. ^ "CONTENTdm".
  10. ^ "Bayonne to hold ceremony commemorating new bell and clock tower". 23 November 2022.
  11. ^ Sullivan, Al (June 16, 2006). "For the birds? Rutkowski Park designed to show off wildlife". Hudson Reporter.
  12. ^ "Mayor Jimmy Davis". Bayonne, New Jersey. Retrieved 2018-01-19.