Jonathan Trotter
Jonathan Trotter (1797 – April 5, 1865) was an English-American manufacturer and politician.
Life
Trotter was born in 1797 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He immigrated to America in 1818, settling in Manhattan. He worked as a morocco dresser on Roosevelt Street. In 1825, he began building a factory for leather dressing in the village of Brooklyn. In 1829, he moved to Brooklyn and his factory became a success.[1]
In 1833, Trotter was elected a trustee of Brooklyn.[2] In 1834, when Brooklyn was officially chartered as a city, he was elected alderman of the 4th ward. In May 1835, he was elected the second Mayor of Brooklyn. He was re-elected in 1836 and served until 1837. As mayor, he laid the cornerstone for the original Brooklyn City Hall, which was later deemed too large.[3]
Trotter lost his fortune in the Panic of 1837. In 1840, he moved back to Manhattan.[3] He was elected to the New York City Board of Assistant Alderman and served as president of the board in 1852[4] and 1853. He was a passenger on the train of the 1853 Norwalk rail accident, but survived.[5] In 1858, he was appointed first clerk of the Street Commissioner's office.[6] In 1859, he was appointed Collector of Assessments.[7]
Trotter was a member of the Democratic Party[8] and a sachem of the Tammany Society.[9] He served as the first president of the Atlantic Bank of Brooklyn, and was vice-president of the Leather Manufacturers Bank of New York.[10]
Trotter died on April 5, 1865.[3] He was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery.[11]
References
- Stiles, Henry R. (1869). A History of the City of Brooklyn. Volume II. Brooklyn, N. Y. p. 250.
- "Village Election". The Long-Island Star. Vol. XXV (No. 18). Brooklyn, N. Y.: Alden Spooner. 9 October 1833. p. 2.
- "Death of Hon. Jonathan Trotter". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 25 (No. 75). 7 April 1865. p. 3.
- "The President of the Board of Assistant". Brooklyn Evening Star. Vol. XLIV (No. 3604). 10 September 1852.
- "Another Frightful Calamity". New York Herald (No. 7441). 7 May 1853. p. 1.
- "Street-Commissioner's Appointment". The New York Times. Vol. VII (No. 2064). 1 May 1858. p. 8.
- "Appointments by the Street Commissioner". The New York Herald (No. 8322). 18 June 1859. p. 1.
- "Questions Answered". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 49 (No. 318). 17 November 1889. p. 6.
- "Election of Tammany Sachems". Buffalo Daily Courier. Volume XXIV (No. 67). 20 April 1859. p. 2.
- "Mayors of Brooklyn". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 34 (No. 194). 16 August 1873. p. 4.
- "Jonathan Trotter (1797-1865)". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
External links
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by George Hall (Brooklyn) |
Mayor of Brooklyn 1835-1836 |
Succeeded by Jeremiah Johnson (mayor) |