The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. (1897-11-13). Robert A. Van Wyck, Mayor-Elect of Greater New York. Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/5e8fd530-93ea-0130-5920-58d385a7bbd0
Robert A. Van Wyck (1847-1918) was an influential political figure in New York during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Born in New York City, he was the son of Attorney William Van Wyck. Van Wyck began his academic pursuits at the University of North Carolina before completing his education at Columbia Law School, graduating in 1872. Initially a businessman, he transitioned to law and eventually became a city court judge in 1880.
After serving as Chief Justice of New York, Van Wyck entered Democratic Party politics. Elected Mayor of New York in 1897 with the backing of Tammany Hall's Richard Croker, he oversaw the unification of the five boroughs into modern-day New York City. During his tenure, Van Wyck worked to improve the city's fragmented administrative system. Following his term, he retired to Paris, France, where he resided until his death in 1918.
Gustavus Myers, "The History of Tammany Hall," 2nd ed., rev. and enled. New York: Boni & Liveright, 1917
New York (N.Y.). Commissioners of Accounts. 1900. Report and Appendix Made to the Hon. Robert Van Wyck, Mayor, at the Request of the Hon. Bird S. Coler, Comptroller, of an Examination to Ascertain the Amount Necessary to Meet the Requirements of the Ahearn Law for the Year 1899, for the Boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. New York: M.B. Brown Co., printers.
NYC Department of Records and Information Services, “Collection Guides, Mayor Robert Van Wyck Records” accessed September 30th 2023, https://a860-collectionguides.nyc.gov/repositories/2/resources/9
Steven A. Levine, "In Gotham's Shadow: Brooklyn and the Consolidation of Greater New York." City University of New York ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2002.
Robert A. Van Wyck dies in Paris Home,” New York Times, November 16, 1918,