Robert F. Wagner, Jr. (Deputy Mayor)
Encyclopedia
Robert Ferdinand Wagner III (January 6, 1944 – November 15, 1993), also known as Robert (Bobby) Ferdinand Wagner III, was a noted New York City civic leader who served as the Deputy Mayor of the City of New York, and President of the New York City Board of Education. He is often confused with his father of the same name, Robert F. Wagner Jr., who served as Manhattan Borough President and Mayor of the City of New York when Robert III was a little boy. He was also the grandson of Senator Robert Ferdinand Wagner I. He changed his name to Robert F. Wagner Jr. after his father dropped the 'Jr'.
Borough President, was elected to the first of three terms as the Mayor of The City of New York. He was educated at the Buckley School in Manhattan, Phillips Exeter Academy
, graduated from Harvard University
in 1965, and then earned a master's degree
in public education
from Princeton University
.
. He lost the Democratic primary for Manhattan Borough President (his father's old job) to Andrew Stein
in 1977, which seemingly ended the possibility of Wagner ascending to higher elected office. He served as Deputy Mayor for Policy, Head of the City Planning Commission, Head of the Health and Hospitals Commission, and President of the New York City Board of Education
under New York City Mayor Edward Koch. More noteworthy, Wagner served as a Senior Policy Adviser to New York City mayors and New York governors for over twenty years. Primarily a Democrat, he supported Republican-Liberal Rudolph Giuliani in his candidacy for mayor against David Dinkins
. At the time of his death, Wagner was serving as Senior Policy Adviser to Mayor-Elect Rudolph Giuliani of New York City, who was expected to return Mr. Wagner to his post as a Deputy Mayor; was chairman of the civic group Citizens Union
; was vice-president of a polling organization he founded, LH Research; and had expressed an interest in joining the Democratic Presidential administration of Bill Clinton
in an urban capacity- his expertise.
, while researching a book he was writing on urban America. He had complained of flu-like symptoms to friends in the two days preceding his death, but had not sought medical treatment. He was survived by his younger brother Duncan. A memorial service was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral
.
Biography
Robert III was the son of Robert Ferdinand Wagner II and his first wife Susan. Robert III was nine years old when his father, the 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...
Borough President, was elected to the first of three terms as the Mayor of The City of New York. He was educated at the Buckley School in Manhattan, Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
, graduated from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1965, and then earned a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in public education
Public education
State schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
.
Public service
Wagner was an elected City Councilman-at-large 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...
. He lost the Democratic primary for Manhattan Borough President (his father's old job) to Andrew Stein
Andrew Stein
Andrew Stein was a Democratic politician who served on the New York City Council and was its last President, and as Manhattan Borough President. Stein's father is Jerry Finkelstein, the retired multi-millionaire publisher of the New York Law Journal, among other publications...
in 1977, which seemingly ended the possibility of Wagner ascending to higher elected office. He served as Deputy Mayor for Policy, Head of the City Planning Commission, Head of the Health and Hospitals Commission, and President of 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:...
under New York City Mayor Edward Koch. More noteworthy, Wagner served as a Senior Policy Adviser to New York City mayors and New York governors for over twenty years. Primarily a Democrat, he supported Republican-Liberal Rudolph Giuliani in his candidacy for mayor against David Dinkins
David Dinkins
David Norman Dinkins is a former politician from New York City. He was the Mayor of New York City from 1990 through 1993; he was the first and is, to date, the only African American to hold that office.-Early life:...
. At the time of his death, Wagner was serving as Senior Policy Adviser to Mayor-Elect Rudolph Giuliani of New York City, who was expected to return Mr. Wagner to his post as a Deputy Mayor; was chairman of the civic group Citizens Union
Citizens Union
Citizens Union is one of the United States' first good government groups. Founded in 1897 as a political party, the group was reconstituted in 1908 as a non-partisan member organization with the broad mission of serving "as a watchdog for the public interest and an advocate for the common...
; was vice-president of a polling organization he founded, LH Research; and had expressed an interest in joining the Democratic Presidential administration of Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
in an urban capacity- his expertise.
Death
On November 15, 1993, Wagner was found dead of natural causes in his hotel room in San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, while researching a book he was writing on urban America. He had complained of flu-like symptoms to friends in the two days preceding his death, but had not sought medical treatment. He was survived by his younger brother Duncan. A memorial service was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States...
.