James J. Lyons
Encyclopedia
James J. Lyons was an American
Democratic Party
politician
, who served as Borough President
of the Bronx
from 1934-1962.
's old Ninth Ward. His father was in the Produce business and the family decided to move to the Bronx when Lyons was 3. He once reminisced in an interview that he used to drive a pony and a cart under High Bridge
and sell fruit to the locals. When he graduated from Public School 11 at age 13, he went to go work as an office boy in the office of the Surpass Leather Company. He would later regret not staying in school and graduating from High School. He eventually moved his way up in the ranks of the company and became a Salesman. Lyons told his men that with the right approach, anything could be sold to anyone. To drive his point home, in his career he sold enough leather to cover four million pairs of women's feet.
leader, Edward J. Flynn
, in 1932 asking him to become the Democrat's nomination for the Borough President, he was shocked. But he went on to run for the position and won overwhelming in the heavily Democratic Borough. Eventually he would go on to be Borough President for 7 terms.
Lyons once stated that being a politician in New York City
was like being in business, and New York was like a corporation. He ran his office like a tight ship, but was known to have a humorous side. It was his ability to combine the responsibilities of being in charge with being humorous that made him able to never lose an election in his life. He was annoyed that the comedians of the time only had to mention the Bronx to get a laugh. This was based on the fact that most people only thought the Bronx was good for its famous Bronx Cheer. He devised a plan to call the Bronx the "Borough of Universities" and to play up the fact that the Bronx Cheer came from the hospitality of the founders of the Bronx; instead of the common idea that it was just the attitude of the un-sociable people of the Bronx. He was once chided by Deputy Mayor Henry Curran for using the word "contact" as a verb. He then decided he would set up the "Henry Curran University" in order to correct all grammar mistakes made in the City, in an effort to mock the Deputy Mayor. Lyons had his people send grammar corrections to all of the politicians in the City when they made mistakes. At one point he even got the New York City Police
Chief to apologize for putting up signs that were not even incorrect. Despite these lighter moments in office, Lyons was a very hard worker. He would attend up to 10 meetings a night, and was always present at the opening of a new institution in the Bronx. When Long Beach Airport
was being built in Queens
, Lyons was instrumental in getting it to be named after Mayor Fiorello La Guardia.
In 1914 the unused bend of the Harlem River
was filled in, physically connecting Marble Hill
, a part of Manhattan, to the borough of The Bronx. The result of the filling in was the Spuyten Duyvil Creek
, now the main channel connecting the Harlem River to the Hudson River
. In 1939, when a judge found Marble Hill to be legally still a part of the borough of Manhattan (and the County of New York), Lyons declared it "the Bronx Sudetenland
", referencing Hitler's 1938 annexation of a region of Czechoslovakia
, because he wished it to be part of the Bronx.
. It was later known that the reason Lyons never ran for an 8th term was because he overheard a phone conversation from President in which the President said that an "important Federal Position" awaited him at the Capitol
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, who served as Borough President
Borough president
Borough President is an elective office in each of the five boroughs of New York City.-Reasons for establishment:...
of the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
from 1934-1962.
Early life
James Lyons was born in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's old Ninth Ward. His father was in the Produce business and the family decided to move to the Bronx when Lyons was 3. He once reminisced in an interview that he used to drive a pony and a cart under High Bridge
High Bridge (New York City)
The High Bridge is a steel arch bridge, with a height of almost 140 feet over the Harlem River, connecting the New York City boroughs of The Bronx and Manhattan...
and sell fruit to the locals. When he graduated from Public School 11 at age 13, he went to go work as an office boy in the office of the Surpass Leather Company. He would later regret not staying in school and graduating from High School. He eventually moved his way up in the ranks of the company and became a Salesman. Lyons told his men that with the right approach, anything could be sold to anyone. To drive his point home, in his career he sold enough leather to cover four million pairs of women's feet.
Political career
Lyons was president of the Bronx Grand Jurors Association and only moderately interested in politics. When he got a call from the Bronx Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
leader, Edward J. Flynn
Edward J. Flynn
Edward Joseph Flynn was an American lawyer and politician. Flynn was a leading Democratic politician of the mid-1900s-Life:...
, in 1932 asking him to become the Democrat's nomination for the Borough President, he was shocked. But he went on to run for the position and won overwhelming in the heavily Democratic Borough. Eventually he would go on to be Borough President for 7 terms.
Lyons once stated that being a politician 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...
was like being in business, and New York was like a corporation. He ran his office like a tight ship, but was known to have a humorous side. It was his ability to combine the responsibilities of being in charge with being humorous that made him able to never lose an election in his life. He was annoyed that the comedians of the time only had to mention the Bronx to get a laugh. This was based on the fact that most people only thought the Bronx was good for its famous Bronx Cheer. He devised a plan to call the Bronx the "Borough of Universities" and to play up the fact that the Bronx Cheer came from the hospitality of the founders of the Bronx; instead of the common idea that it was just the attitude of the un-sociable people of the Bronx. He was once chided by Deputy Mayor Henry Curran for using the word "contact" as a verb. He then decided he would set up the "Henry Curran University" in order to correct all grammar mistakes made in the City, in an effort to mock the Deputy Mayor. Lyons had his people send grammar corrections to all of the politicians in the City when they made mistakes. At one point he even got the New York City Police
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
Chief to apologize for putting up signs that were not even incorrect. Despite these lighter moments in office, Lyons was a very hard worker. He would attend up to 10 meetings a night, and was always present at the opening of a new institution in the Bronx. When Long Beach Airport
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...
was being built in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, Lyons was instrumental in getting it to be named after Mayor Fiorello La Guardia.
In 1914 the unused bend of the Harlem River
Harlem River
The Harlem River is a navigable tidal strait in New York City, USA that flows 8 miles between the Hudson River and the East River, separating the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx...
was filled in, physically connecting Marble Hill
Marble Hill, Manhattan
Marble Hill is the neighborhood which makes up the northernmost part of the Borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. Although it is politically part of Manhattan and New York County, because of the re-routing of the Harlem River, it is located on the North American mainland contiguous...
, a part of Manhattan, to the borough of The Bronx. The result of the filling in was the Spuyten Duyvil Creek
Spuyten Duyvil Creek
Spuyten Duyvil Creek is a channel connecting the Hudson River to the Harlem River Ship Canal, and on to the Harlem River in New York City, separating the island of Manhattan from the Bronx and the rest of the mainland. The neighborhood named Spuyten Duyvil lies to the north of the creek.Spuyten...
, now the main channel connecting the Harlem River to the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. In 1939, when a judge found Marble Hill to be legally still a part of the borough of Manhattan (and the County of New York), Lyons declared it "the Bronx Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
", referencing Hitler's 1938 annexation of a region of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, because he wished it to be part of the Bronx.
Family life
In 1917 James J Lyons wed Gertrude O'Brien. They had three children: James J. Lyons Jr., William Lyons and Getrude Lyons. James Lyons was a lifelong friend of Joseph Kennedy and was instrumental in getting his son William a job with President John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. It was later known that the reason Lyons never ran for an 8th term was because he overheard a phone conversation from President in which the President said that an "important Federal Position" awaited him at the Capitol
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.