Edward J. Riegelmann (September 5, 1869 – January 15, 1941) was an American Democratic

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from

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 ...

Kings County, New York Kings or King's may refer to: *Kings: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations. *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'', an 11th-century epic Persia ...

, best remembered for the

Riegelmann Boardwalk The Riegelmann Boardwalk (also known as the Coney Island Boardwalk) is a boardwalk on the southern shore of the Coney Island peninsula of Brooklyn in New York City, New York, United States. Opened in 1923, the boardwalk runs along the Atlantic ...

Biography

Riegelmann was one of five children born to Frederick and Margret Riegelmann on the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. The family moved to

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. It was an independe ...

ten years later. Riegelmann graduated from the Metropolis Law School, which later merged with

New York University Law School The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it was the first law school established in New York City and is the oldest survivin ...

. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1898. He began practicing law with the Charles O. Grim and set out to make a mark in the field of Democratic Politics. In 1904, Riegelmann was rewarded with leadership of the Democratic State Speakers Bureau in the presidential campaign. He then served as counsel to the Sheriff of Kings County, New York, assistant corporation counsel in Brooklyn, assistant counsel to the

New York Public Service Commission The New York Public Service Commission is the public utilities commission of the New York state government that regulates and oversees the electric, gas, water, and telecommunication industries in New York as part of the Department of Public Ser ...

, and was Sheriff of Kings County from 1915 to 1917. He was a delegate to

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

from New York in 1920. He then ran successfully for Brooklyn Borough President, serving from January 1, 1918 to December 31, 1924. During his tenure as borough president, Riegelmann won approval for construction of the Brooklyn Municipal Building at Court and Joralemon Streets, worked to beautify

Coney Island Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...

and make all access to the beach free, and was largely responsible for the construction of the Coney Island boardwalk, which was eventually named for him. He was a

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...

alternate in 1924 and 1940, and was appointed Justice of

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

2nd District, by

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

serving from January 1, 1925, until he retired on December 31, 1939.The Political Graveyard, Index to Politicians: Ridg to Riggles
retrieved June 5, 2009 Edward J. Riegelmann died on January 15, 1941, in

, aged 72, and was buried at Calvary Cemetery in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

Riegelmann Boardwalk/Coney Island Beach

One of Riegelmann's most notable projects was the construction of the

. As early as the 19th century, it was being developed as a

seaside resort A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...

, and by the first decade of the 20th century, it had become overcrowded. As Brooklyn Borough President, Riegelmann took charge of beautifying Coney Island and ensuring public access to the beach and shore. After the city secured title to property along the beachfront, the project began in 1921. The boardwalk, which extended between West 37th Street and Ocean Parkway, opened on May 15, 1923.DESIGNATION REPORT: Coney Island (Riegelmann) Boardwalk
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riegelmann, Edward J. 1869 births 1941 deaths New York (state) Democrats Brooklyn borough presidents New York Supreme Court justices People from the Lower East Side People from Williamsburg, Brooklyn Sheriffs of Kings County, New York