Charles Godfrey Gunther (April 7, 1822 – January 22, 1885) was mayor of New York City from 1864 until 1866.
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Early life edit
Gunther was born in New York on April 7, 1822,[a] into a family of recent immigrants from Germany.[2][3] His father, Christian G. Gunther, was a wealthy fur merchant, and Gunther would eventually join the family business.
Gunther was also a volunteer firefighter for many years.[1]
Political career edit
Gunther was active in Tammany Hall politics since his teenage years.[2]
In 1861 he ran for mayor as a Democrat, but lost to Republican George Opdyke in an election fraught with Civil War complications. In 1863 Gunther ran again and was elected, serving his two-year term from 1864 until 1866.[2]
Later life edit
After leaving politics, Gunther became a railroad executive, working in that capacity until his death in New York on January 22, 1885.[2][4]
He was buried in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery.
See also edit
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Volunteer Fireman: public service start & a lifelong association". New York Correction History Society. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Hall, Henry, ed. (1895). America's Successful Men of Affairs: An Encyclopedia of Contemporaneous Biography. Vol. I. The New York Tribune Company. p. 283. Retrieved December 3, 2021 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "The Mayor Elect", Harper's Weekly, December 19, 1863, at 813.
- ^ "Obituary: Ex-Mayor C. Godfrey Gunther". The New York Times. January 24, 1885. p. 5. Retrieved December 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.