Henry Otto Wittpenn was the Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey from January 1, 1908 to June 16, 1913. He was a member of the New Jersey State Highway Commission and was the president of both the Hoboken Land and Improvement Company and the First National Bank of Hoboken. He was also a director of the First National Bank of Jersey City.

Birth

Henry Otto Wittpenn was born on October 23, 1871 to Dora and Henry Wittpenn in Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...

. His father was a fireman, and later owned and operated a grocery store at 320 Communipaw Avenue. He had three siblings, a brother and two sisters. One of his sisters married Edwin M. Houghtaling and lived in Montclair, New Jersey

Montclair, New Jersey

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...

, and his other sister married George Dinkel. Wittpenn worked for his father, and later for his uncle, at family-owned stores.

Politics

Wittpenn became interested in politics when he gave a speech for James J. Murphy at a convention in Jersey City. Murphy lost the election, but Wittpenn's speech was remembered. He formally entered politics in 1904 as one of the Hudson County, New Jersey

Hudson County, New Jersey

Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...

 supervisors. His run for mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...

 was in 1907 against the Republican incumbent Mark Fagan

Mark M. Fagan

Mark Matthew Fagan was an Irish Catholic mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, from 1902 to 1907 and 1913 to 1917.-Biography:...

. Whitpenn remained in office until 1912 when he lost to Frank Hague

Frank Hague

Frank Hague was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey from 1917 to 1947, Democratic National Committeeman from New Jersey from 1922 until 1949, and Vice-Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1924 until 1949.Hague has a widely-known...

. While in office he appointed Cornelia Foster Bradford to the Board of Education

Board of education

A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....

.

Jersey City Medical Center

While mayor he saw the completion of the Jersey City Medical Center

Jersey City Medical Center

The Jersey City Medical Center is a hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey. The hospital has had different facilities in the city.-History:The hospital began as the "Charity Hospital" but the Board of Aldermen of Jersey City bought land at Baldwin Avenue and Montgomery Street in 1882 for a new hospital...

 begun under Fagan.

Marriage

He married Caroline Bayard Stevens (November 21, 1859 – December 5, 1932) on January 6, 1915. Caroline had previously been married to Archibald Alexander, but her husband had been missing since the divorce. She divorced and waited 20 years to remarry, reportedly to ensure that her first husband was no longer living when she remarried. The eldest daughter of Edwin Augustus Stevens, she was 11 years older than Wittpenn.

Run for governor

In 1916, Wittpenn, the comptroller of customs at the New York Customs House, was nominated by the Democratic Party for governor. Frank Hague

Frank Hague

Frank Hague was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey from 1917 to 1947, Democratic National Committeeman from New Jersey from 1922 until 1949, and Vice-Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1924 until 1949.Hague has a widely-known...

 is believed by many to have connived with Walter E. Edge, the Republican candidate, to help Edge win by a relatively slim 7430 votes by not encouraging Democrats to vote for Wittpenn.

Port of New York

President Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson

Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...

 named Wittpenn as the civilian overseer, of the Port of New York

Port of New York and New Jersey

The Port of New York and New Jersey comprises the waterways in the estuary of the New York-Newark metropolitan area with a port district encompassing an approximate area within a radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument...

. Wittpenn ran for Governor again in 1916, but was not elected. Henry registered for the draft as "Henry Whitpenn" but did not serve. In March 1929 Wittpenn was appointed as a State Highway Commissioner by Governor Lawson.

Death

Henry Otto Wittpenn died on July 25, 1931 at 9:30, at night, aged 59, from blood poisoning. He had been in a coma for the previous two days. He was buried in Hoboken Cemetery.

Legacy

The Wittpenn Bridge

Wittpenn Bridge

The Wittpenn Bridge is a vertical lift bridge that carries New Jersey Route 7 over the Hackensack River connecting Kearny and Jersey City, New Jersey. It is named after H. Otto Wittpenn, a former mayor of Jersey City. The bridge comprises four -wide lanes, extending and standing above mean high...

 opened in 1930, and crosses the Hackensack River

Hackensack River

The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...

 between Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...

 and Kearny, New Jersey

Kearny, New Jersey

Kearny is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. It was named after Civil War general Philip Kearny. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population was 40,684. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark....

. It is part of New Jersey Route 7 and is a four-lane lift span.

Further reading

• New York Times; April 12, 1929. page 26. Mrs. Wittpen gets Post; Hoover Names Her Commissioner in International Prison Group"
• New York Times; July 9, 1931; page 28. "H. Otto Wittpen Improves Rapidly"
• New York Times; December 6, 1932; Mrs. H.O Wittpenn to be Buried Today. Service Will Be Conducted at the Residence by Bishop Stearly. Hoover Sends Condolences.The funeral service for Mrs. Otto Wittpenn, philanthropist and civic worker, who died on Sunday at her home in Hoboken, New Jersey
  Hoboken, New Jersey
  Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
  
  , will be held this afternoon at 1:30 o'clock at her late residence, Castle Point. The Right Rev. Wilson R. Stearly, Bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Newark, will officiate.