1949 NYC Mayoral Election

The 1949 NYC Mayoral Election, a contest between lukewarm Tammany Haller William O'Dwyer, LaGuardia Ally Republican Newbold Morris, and LaGuardia Disciple, and longtime Socialist Congressman Vito Marcantonio resulted in a comfortable victory for O'Dwyer.

Before he attained the Mayoralty, O'Dwyer was seen as a NYC reformer, responsible for putting the infamous crime syndicate Murder Inc in prison as Kings District Attorney.

In the mayoralty, despite his longstanding ties to Tammany Hall bosses, O'Dwyer maintained this reformist halo—in this election he would further receive the support of newly minted Tammany Boss Carmine DeSapio.

This, in addition to the public perception of the Republican Newbold Morris—that being a rich guy out of touch with the city, as well as the red scare's increasing eventual fatal blow to the American Labor Party & Vito Marcantonio—also helped O'Dwyer in his voctory.

Despite him suffering a crushing defeat, Marcantonio still won in Spanish/Italian East Harlem, doing best in the Italian American and Growing Puerto Rican Communities there, followed by the heights, Lower Manhattan, and the central Bronx.

By contrast, O'Dwyer did best in the Italian American Staten Island and Italo-Germanic Queens county, Newbold Morris did best in the upper East side Midtown, and Central Brooklyn.

1949 Mayor: O'Dwyer Performance

1949 Mayor: Morris Performance

O'dwyer would only serve 8 months of his second term, being appointed as United States Ambassador to Mexico by Harry Truman after being confronted by a police corruption case that involved multiple of his friends and appointees uncovered by Brooklyn DA Miles McDonald.

The Case then inmediately blew up after O'Dwyer's resignation; he was then replaced by City Council President Vincent Impellitteri until 1953 who had to—as an unorthodox, unaligned, and indecisive mayor—dealing with the scandal's political headwinds.