1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: The day in history class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:06,240 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey, y'all, I'm closing out the decade from 3 00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:08,960 Speaker 1: the comfort of my own home, but I'm so glad 4 00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:10,479 Speaker 1: that you made it to the end of the year 5 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: with me. And still the show must go on. So 6 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:19,160 Speaker 1: let's get into the last episode of the year. Today 7 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 1: is December one. The day was December thirty one, nineteen 8 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 1: fifty three, Quel and Jack was sworn in as Borough 9 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: President of Manhattan, making him the highest ranking black elected 10 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: municipal official in the US at the time. Jack was 11 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 1: born in St. Lucia. Jack's father was a minister and 12 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: was active in Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association. Jack's 13 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: family spent time on a various Caribbean islands, but when 14 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: he was a teenager, he accompanied his father on a 15 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 1: trip to New York City and stayed there even after 16 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: his father returned to the Caribbean. Jack's plan was to 17 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: get an American education, to find work, and to become 18 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 1: involved in politics, and he immediately set about reaching all 19 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:15,400 Speaker 1: of those goals. Jack enrolled in the New York Evening 20 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:18,480 Speaker 1: High School and got his diploma in ninety nine. He 21 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,399 Speaker 1: later took evening classes at New York University, where he 22 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: completed three years of study towards a bachelor's degree in 23 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: business administration. Jack found work at a paper box factory, 24 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: and he managed to work his way from being a 25 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:34,840 Speaker 1: box cutter there to being the vice president of sales. 26 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:39,679 Speaker 1: But as he witnessed more racism and discrimination, Jack turned 27 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:43,680 Speaker 1: toward a political career. In nineteen thirty Jack joined the 28 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:47,360 Speaker 1: Democratic Party. The next year, he became a US citizen. 29 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 1: In nineteen thirty four, he married Gertrude Hewitt, with whom 30 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 1: he had one child. She died in nineteen thirty seven, 31 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 1: and four years later he married Almira Wilkinson. They also 32 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: had one child together. Jack entered politics as millions of 33 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 1: black people left the Republican Party to vote for Democrat 34 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 1: Franklin D. Roosevelt as president. He did face racism as 35 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: he became more involved in the Democratic Party, but in 36 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 1: nineteen forty he was elected to represent Harlem and the 37 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: New York State Assembly. He served as an assemblyman from 38 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: nineteen forty one to nineteen fifty three. After being re 39 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 1: elected several times, he became known as a Tammany Hall operative. 40 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:33,079 Speaker 1: Tammany Hall was the Democratic Party, political machine that had 41 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: a lot of control in New York City and state 42 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:38,800 Speaker 1: politics from the late eighteenth century to the nineteen sixties. 43 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: The organization was known for its support of impoverished people 44 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:47,360 Speaker 1: in immigrants, as well as its corruption, but Jack was 45 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: also known for his advocacy for bills that struck down 46 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: segregation and discrimination. In nineteen fifty three, as the Republicans 47 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 1: moved towards choosing a black candidate for president of the 48 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:01,640 Speaker 1: Borough of Manhattan, the Democrat Party decided to run Jack 49 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: for office. He won the election, becoming the first black 50 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 1: person to hold the office. Jack was the first Black 51 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: American to hold a major city elective posts since reconstruction. 52 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: It was a major win as the office came with 53 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:18,360 Speaker 1: a decent salary of twenty five thou dollars and a 54 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: lot of recognition and power. During his time in office, 55 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: many improvements were made to the infrastructure in Manhattan and 56 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:29,639 Speaker 1: more public housing was made available, even though some of 57 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: the projects he supported proved controversial. He was re elected 58 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: to a second term in nineteen fifty seven, but during 59 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 1: this term he ran into a political scandal that had 60 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: an impact on his position. Jack was convicted of accepting 61 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: an I legal gift of forty dollars after a contractor 62 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: refused to accept payment for renovations on his apartment. At 63 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: this point, Tammany Hall's power was waning and some people 64 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 1: were accusing Jack of being an uncle Tom for working 65 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 1: within the system. He resigned as borough president in nineteen sixty, 66 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 1: but he continued in politics and made good with constituents 67 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 1: despite becoming involved in another scandal. Jack argued that so 68 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 1: much heat was on him because of his race. He 69 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: was re elected to the New York State Assembly in 70 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:21,040 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty eight, and he continued serving as district leader 71 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: of the Democratic Party, a position he held from nineteen 72 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: forty six to nineteen seventy two. But Jack would become 73 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: embroiled in political scandal yet again in nineteen seventy two, 74 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: when he was wrapped up in conflict of interest charges 75 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:36,839 Speaker 1: related to a community service firm that he was a 76 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:40,559 Speaker 1: partner in. He was convicted and sentenced to three months 77 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 1: in federal prison, which he served in nineteen seventy three. 78 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: Jack went on to advise other politicians endorsed the controversial 79 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 1: Lindon H. Laruge Jr. For the presidential nomination in nineteen 80 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 1: eighty and become the founder and executive board member of 81 00:04:56,200 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 1: the Schiller Institute, a political and economic think tank. Jack 82 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:04,440 Speaker 1: died in New York City in nine His involvement in 83 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:07,880 Speaker 1: political scandals, the decline of the Tammany Hall political machine, 84 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:12,200 Speaker 1: changes to how political power was organized, and a shifting 85 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:17,320 Speaker 1: landscape of race and politics all complicated his legacy. I'm 86 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:19,640 Speaker 1: Eves Jeff Coote and hopefully you know a little more 87 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. And if you 88 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 1: want to send us a note on social media, you 89 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:28,880 Speaker 1: can do that at t d i h C Podcast 90 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:32,479 Speaker 1: on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or you can shoot us 91 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:36,599 Speaker 1: an email at this Day at iHeart media dot com. 92 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:39,280 Speaker 1: Thanks as always for listening to the show and we'll 93 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 1: see you again tomorrow. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, 94 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 95 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:53,680 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.