Samuel B. H. Vance
Encyclopedia
Samuel B. H. Vance, as a Republican President of the New York City
Board of Aldermen in 1873-74, briefly became Acting Mayor of New York City
between the death of the elected Mayor William Havemeyer on November 30, 1874 and the inauguration of his elected successor, William H. Wickham
on January 1, 1875.
He was born of a distinguished family in Pennsylvania and served as a Captain of Volunteers in the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. In 1854, Vance began participating in a series of firms making gas and electric lighting fixtures in New York City
, twice succeeding company presidents who had died. He was elected to the New York City Board of Education
in 1860, and to the Board of Aldermen in 1871 and was then chosen to be the latter's President on January 7, 1873, leading in turn to his one-month tenure as Acting Mayor in December, 1874.
In 1885, he was one of three commissioners appointed by the New York Supreme Court
to study surface transportation on lower Broadway between Union Square
West (15th Street) and The Battery
(what is now New York's Financial District
). The commission recommended that, because of increased traffic and commercial density in this area, the Broadway Surface Railroad Company be granted a franchise to start and operate a horse (rather than cable) drawn line along this route. (While a horse-drawn line did start in 1885, a traction
cable was installed eight years later.)
After leaving a full day of work on Friday, August 8, 1890, Samuel Vance sought several days of rest at his home in Douglaston, Long Island
, but died shortly after midnight on Sunday, August 10, 1890, at the age of 76. His widow, born Augusta Blanche Hay, died in Sayville
, Long Island
on Wednesday, June 19, 1901.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Board of Aldermen in 1873-74, briefly became Acting Mayor of New York City
Mayor of New York City
The Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
between the death of the elected Mayor William Havemeyer on November 30, 1874 and the inauguration of his elected successor, William H. Wickham
William H. Wickham
William H. Wickham was a New York mayor and anti-Ring Democrat who helped to topple corrupt politician Boss Tweed.-Biography:...
on January 1, 1875.
He was born of a distinguished family in Pennsylvania and served as a Captain of Volunteers in the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. In 1854, Vance began participating in a series of firms making gas and electric lighting fixtures in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, twice succeeding company presidents who had died. He was elected to the New York City Board of Education
New York City Board of Education
The New York City Board of Education is the governing body of the New York City Department of Education. The members of the board are appointed by the mayor and by the five borough presidents.-Rise, fall and return of Mayoral Control:...
in 1860, and to the Board of Aldermen in 1871 and was then chosen to be the latter's President on January 7, 1873, leading in turn to his one-month tenure as Acting Mayor in December, 1874.
In 1885, he was one of three commissioners appointed by the New York Supreme Court
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
to study surface transportation on lower Broadway between Union Square
Union Square (New York City)
Union Square is a public square in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York.It is an important and historic intersection, located where Broadway and the former Bowery Road – now Fourth Avenue – came together in the early 19th century; its name celebrates neither the...
West (15th Street) and The Battery
Battery Park
Battery Park is a 25-acre public park located at the Battery, the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City, facing New York Harbor. The Battery is named for artillery batteries that were positioned there in the city's early years in order to protect the settlement behind them...
(what is now New York's Financial District
Financial District, Manhattan
The Financial District of New York City is a neighborhood on the southernmost section of the borough of Manhattan which comprises the offices and headquarters of many of the city's major financial institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York...
). The commission recommended that, because of increased traffic and commercial density in this area, the Broadway Surface Railroad Company be granted a franchise to start and operate a horse (rather than cable) drawn line along this route. (While a horse-drawn line did start in 1885, a traction
Railway electric traction
Railway electric traction describes the various types of locomotive and multiple units that are used on electrification systems around the world.-History:...
cable was installed eight years later.)
After leaving a full day of work on Friday, August 8, 1890, Samuel Vance sought several days of rest at his home in Douglaston, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, but died shortly after midnight on Sunday, August 10, 1890, at the age of 76. His widow, born Augusta Blanche Hay, died in Sayville
Sayville, New York
Sayville is a hamlet and CDP in Suffolk County, New York, . Located on the south shore of Long Island in the Town of Islip, the population of the CDP was 16,735 at the time of the 2000 census.-History:...
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
on Wednesday, June 19, 1901.
Sources
- The Encyclopedia of New York CityThe Encyclopedia of New York CityThe Encyclopedia of New York City is a comprehensive reference book on New York City. Historian and Columbia University professor Kenneth T...
, edited by Kenneth T. Jackson (Yale 1995, ISBN 0-300-05536-6) - Obituary of Samuel B.H. Vance in The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
of Tuesday, August 12, 1890 retrieved without charge on June 1, 2008
- Miscellaneous articles from the free archives of The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, 1861 to 1901, http://www.nytimes.com for details such as dates and party affiliations
External links
- THE VANCE-ROOSEVELT WEDDING.; MR. JOHN E. ROOSEVELT UNITED TO MISS NANNIE MITCHELL VANCE--SOME OF THE PRESENTS. from The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
of Wednesday, February 20, 1879, page 8, retrieved without charge on June 1, 2008 "The marriage of Mr. John E. Roosevelt, son of ex-Congressman Robert B. Roosevelt, to Miss Nannie Mitchell Vance, daughter of Hon. Samuel B. H. Vance, was solemnized at the Collegiate Dutch Reformed Church, Fifth-avenue and Forty-eighth street, yesterday afternoon." The senior Vances were living, according to this story, at a mansion on 30 West 57th Street. Although Samuel Vance was a Republican, the groom's father was a former Democratic New York City Alderman and Congressman (and future Ambassador) who was in turn an uncle of Theodore RooseveltTheodore RooseveltTheodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, the future Mayoral candidate and President.
- For Mitchell, Vance & Company, see New York's Great Industries by Richard Edwards (1884), reprinted in 1973 by Ayer Publishing, ISBN 0-405-05086-0, pages 96–97, free preview retrieved on June 1, 2008 from Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=ZJi9P1eCf3MC&pg=PA96&lpg=PA96 , according to which Mitchell, Vance in 1884 had showrooms on Broadway and factories on Tenth Avenue between 24th and 25th Streets.