John Ward Hunter (October 15, 1807 – April 16, 1900) was an American banker and politician who served briefly as a
United States representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
from New York from late 1866 to early 1867. He also served as mayor of Brooklyn.
Biography
Born in Bedford neighborhood of
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
(now known as
Bedford Stuyvesant), he received a liberal schooling and was a clerk in a wholesale grocery store in New York City in 1824. He was a clerk in the
U.S. Custom House at New York City from 1831 to 1836, and was assistant
auditor
An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting and a ...
of the customhouse from 1836 to 1865.
He engaged in banking as treasurer of the
Dime Savings Bank Dime Savings Bank may refer to:
* Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh, Brooklyn
* Dime Savings Bank of New York
The Dime Savings Bank of New York, originally the Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn, was a bank headquartered in Brooklyn, New York City. ...
in Brooklyn.
Congress
He was elected as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
to the Thirty-ninth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of
James Humphrey. Hunter held office from December 4, 1866 to March 3, 1867; while in Congress, he was
censure
A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. In parliamentary procedure, it is a debatable main motion that could be adopted by a majority vote. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a spi ...
d by the House of Representatives on January 26, 1867 for the use of unparliamentary language. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1866.
Mayor
In 1875 and 1876 he was
mayor of Brooklyn. His successor as mayor was
Frederick A. Schroeder, a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
. Hunter was elected the first President of the ''Society of Old'' ''Brooklynites''. The prestigious civic organization which was founded in 1880, still holds monthly public meetings in the Brooklyn Surrogate's Courtroom.
He resumed banking and died in Brooklyn; interment was in
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several blo ...
.
Hunter was
censured by the United States House of Representatives. This was the tenth time in American history that a Representative was censured. The report cites "Insulted another member during debate (January 26, 1867)" as the reason for this condemnation.
See also
*
List of United States representatives expelled, censured, or reprimanded
References
External links
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, John W.
1807 births
1900 deaths
19th-century American politicians
Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery
Censured or reprimanded members of the United States House of Representatives
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)
Erasmus Hall High School alumni
Mayors of Brooklyn