Embedded Files
The 1917 Jersey City Municipal election, A Contest between the slates put together by Commisioner of Public Safety Frank Hague, Former JC Mayor Otto Wittpenn, and then JC Mayor Mark Fagan resulted in a sweep for Frank Hague, allowing him to take full control of Jersey City Government and establish a 32 year reign as the city's mayor.
Fought in the mof WWI, the election saw little coverage from the local papers, neccessitating more personal campaigning by the candidates. Here, personal brands made the difference where the Hague Slate was able to win because they were the most well known
Hague's brand, for example, was dominated by his clean up of the JC police department, attaining the power to fire lazy and corrupt officers and remaking the department into one filled with loyal and competent Hague men.
Counter to this, while Wittpenn's "Citizens' Union for better Government" Slate included Freeholders a then city commisioner & a former Street & Water Commisioner, and Fagan's slate included the incument mayor mayor,
the lateness in them starting their campaigns as compared to Hague (through the latter's brand building) prevented them from getting the momentum neccessary in beating Hague
This in turn allowed Hague—who in addition to his brand was steadily increasing his hold over Hudson county government and had over 2,000 municipal employees working for his slate's campaign—to best the other two slates, allowing his "Unbossed" slate to best the other two slates by a 20.4% margin
While Hague won every single ward in the city, including Mayor Fagan's home 5th ward, his slate performed best in the Irish Catholic Second ward, Nicknamed the Shoe for a prior map's version of the ward, this was the ward where Hague Grew up in and provided his strongest margins, and eventually, greatest defeat.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse