William Francis Deegan (December 28, 1882 – April 3, 1932) was an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, organizer of the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the Army Corps of Engineers, and Democratic political leader in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Biography

He was born on December 28, 1882, to Irish immigrants. He studied architecture at

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly known as Cooper Union, is a private college on Cooper Square in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-s ...

and at age 35 served in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as a staff officer in the 105th Field Artillery. Deegan later joined the

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

as a

, where he supervised the construction of military bases in the New York area under the command of

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

George W. Goethals. After the war he helped organize the

in 1919, advancing to State Commander in 1921. In 1922 he was considered a strong candidate to become national commander of the Legion at their convention in New Orleans, but was defeated due to his strong advocacy for admitting black veterans into the organization. Advocacy for the rights of black people was a strong theme throughout Deegan's career, including during his position as Tenement House Commissioner. Deegan worked as an architect at a number of distinguished firms, including

McKim, Mead & White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm based in New York City. The firm came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in ''fin de siècle'' New York. The firm's founding partners, Cha ...

; Post, Magnicke and Franke; and Starrett and van Vleck. Later in life he held a number of political positions, most of them in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. Deegan was President of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce until the chamber grew critical of Mayor Jimmy Walker, at which point he resigned. In 1928, Mayor Walker appointed him Tenement House Commissioner of New York City—a post he held for the rest of his life—and in 1930, chairman of the Mayor's Committee on Receptions to Distinguished Guests, or "official greeter", a job in which he was preceded by his friend Rodman Wanamaker and eventually succeeded by

Grover Whalen Grover Aloysius Whalen (1886–1962) was a prominent politician, businessman, and public relations guru in New York City during the 1930s and 1940s. Early years Whalen was born on July 2, 1886, in New York City, the son of an Irish immigrant fat ...

. Major Deegan died of complications following surgery for an

appendectomy An appendectomy (American English) or appendicectomy (British English) is a Surgery, surgical operation in which the vermiform appendix (a portion of the intestine) is removed. Appendectomy is normally performed as an urgent or emergency procedur ...

on April 3, 1932.

Legacy

At the time of his death, a new road was being built from the Triborough Bridge to the Grand Concourse. This was renamed and expanded in 1956 into the Major Deegan Expressway section of I-87 in the Bronx, which retains his name.

References

1882 births 1932 deaths American people of Irish descent People from the Bronx Cooper Union alumni Chairpersons of the Mayor's Committee on Receptions to Distinguished Guests Commissioners in New York City Greeters {{authority control