Editing Jersey City, New Jersey (section)

====Mayor "Boss" Hague====
[[File:City of Jersey City Water Bond 1922.jpg|thumb|Water bond of the City of Jersey City, issued 1 September 1922, signed by Mayor Frank Hague]]
From 1917 to 1947, Jersey City was governed by Mayor [[Frank Hague]]. Originally elected as a candidate supporting reform in governance, his name is "synonymous with the early twentieth century urban American blend of political favoritism and social welfare known as [[bossism]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cityofjerseycity.org/hague/index.shtml|title=JerseyCityHistory.com - Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague}}</ref> Hague ran the city with an iron fist while, at the same time, molding governors, United States senators, and judges to his whims while also being a close political ally to [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. Boss Hague was known to be loud and vulgar, but dressed in a stylish manner, earning him the nickname "King Hanky-Panky".<ref>Alexander, Jack. [http://www.cityofjerseycity.org/hague/kinghankypanky/index.shtml "Boss Hague:King Hanky-Panky of Jersey"], copy of article from ''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]'', October 26, 1940, available at the City of Jersey City website. Accessed June 1, 2015.</ref> In his later years in office, Hague would often dismiss his enemies as "[[red (political adjective)|red]]s" or "[[commies]]". Hague lived like a millionaire, despite having an annual salary that never exceeded $8,500. He was able to maintain a fourteen-room [[duplex (building)|duplex]] apartment in Jersey City, a suite at the [[Plaza Hotel]] in Manhattan, and a palatial summer home in the [[Jersey Shore]] community of [[Deal, New Jersey|Deal]], and travel to Europe yearly in the royal suites of the best ocean liners.<ref name="time1">Staff. [http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,794736,00.html "Hague's End"], ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', May 23, 1949. Accessed June 1, 2015.</ref><ref name=Hague>{{cite web|url=https://njcu.libguides.com/hague|title=Frank Hague, 1876-1956|website=njcu.libguides.com|access-date=February 11, 2025}}</ref>

Hague's time as mayor was also marked by his direct influence in the construction of several important infrastructure, educational, open space, healthcare and public works projects that became functional civic landmarks that define the city to this day. Some of these projects are the construction of [[Journal Square]] and its [[Loew's Jersey Theatre|theaters]], the [[Holland Tunnel]], the [[Wittpenn Bridge]], the design of [[New Jersey Route 139]], the [[Pulaski Skyway]], [[Lincoln High School (New Jersey)|Lincoln High School]], [[Henry Snyder High School|Snyder High School]], [[New Jersey City University#A. Harry Moore School|A. Harry Moore School]], [[New Jersey City University]], the Heights, Miller and Greenville branches of the [[Jersey City Free Public Library|library system]], [[Pershing Field]], Audubon Park, five [[public housing]] complexes, [[Harborside (Jersey City)|Harborside Terminal]], the Seventh [[Police precinct|Police Precinct]] and Criminal Court, the expansion of [[Jersey City Medical Center|Jersey City Hospital]] to [[The Beacon (Jersey City)|Jersey City Medical Center]], the [[Jersey City Armory]] and [[Roosevelt Stadium]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/hudson/2024/10/how-frank-hague-left-his-mark-on-jersey-city-legends-landmarks.html|title=How Mayor Frank Hague left his mark on Jersey City|publisher=The Jersey Journal|date=October 11, 2024|access-date=February 13, 2025}}</ref> Hague financed several of these projects with [[Works Progress Administration|WPA]] funds secured by [[Member of congress|congresswoman]] [[Mary Teresa Norton]] (1925–1951),
the first woman elected to represent New Jersey or any state in [[Northeastern United States|the Northeast]].<ref name="Hague"/>

After Hague's retirement from politics, a series of mayors including [[John V. Kenny]], [[Thomas J. Whelan (mayor)|Thomas J. Whelan]] and [[Thomas F. X. Smith]] attempted to take control of Hague's organization, usually under the mantle of political reform. None were able to duplicate the level of power held by Hague,<ref name="Grundy" /> but the city and Hudson County remained notorious for political corruption for decades to come.<ref>[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1893/10/22/109731533.pdf "Hudson County's Degradation. Where Official Corruption Runs Riot is Not Concealed."] ''The New York Times'', October 22, 1893</ref><ref>[[Charles Strum|Strum, Charles]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/19/nyregion/another-milepost-on-the-long-trail-of-corruption-in-hudson-county.html "Another Milepost on the Long Trail of Corruption in Hudson County"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', December 19, 1991. Accessed April 1, 2015.</ref><ref name="AnyRespect">Strunsky, Steve. [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/14/nyregion/why-can-t-hudson-county-get-any-respect-despite-soaring-towers-rising-property.html "Why Can't Hudson County Get Any Respect?; Despite Soaring Towers, Rising Property Values and Even a Light Rail, the Region Struggles to Polish Its Image"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', January 14, 2001. Accessed April 1, 2015.</ref>