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 is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
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 Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
(now known as
Bedford Stuyvesant
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district.
Bedford was founded at a ford on the ...
), 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 an ...
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 (Cyprus) (DCY)
**Democratic Part ...
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 sp ...
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
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
. His successor as mayor was
Frederick A. Schroeder
Frederick A. Schroeder (March 9, 1833 – December 1, 1899) was an American industrialist and politician of German descent. As mayor of Brooklyn—before the city's merger with New York—and New York state senator, Schroeder earned a reputation ...
, a
Republican. 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, Brooklyn, South Slope/Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn, Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, Win ...
.
Hunter was
censured
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 spir ...
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
*
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, John W.
1807 births
1900 deaths
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
19th-century New York (state) politicians
19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives