George Opdyke (December 7, 1805 – June 12, 1880) was an entrepreneur and the 77th mayor of New York City serving from 1862 to 1864 during the American Civil War. The New York City draft riots occurred during his tenure.

Early life

Opdyke was born on December 7, 1805, in Kingwood Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. He was the sixth of nine children born to George Opdyke (1773–1851) and Mary E. (née Stout) Opdyke (1773–1834).

Political career

Until 1848, Opdyke was a Democrat, although he "took no conspicuous part in the affairs of that party." When the Free Soil party merged with the Republican Party, he joined with it on its anti-slavery platform. In 1856, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the New York State Assembly.

In 1861, he was elected to a two-year term as mayor of New York City over incumbent mayor Fernando Wood of the Mozart Hall faction of the Democracy and William Frederick Havemeyer of the Tammany Hall wing. As mayor, Opdyke recruited and equipped troops for the war and responded to draft riots of July 1863. His term in office ended in 1863, and he was succeeded by Democrat Charles Godfrey Gunther, who had also been Opdyke's opponent in 1861. Together, they were the parents of:

  • Mary Elizabeth Opdyke (1834–1907), who married George W. Farlee.
  • Samuel T. Opdyke (1846–1851), who died young.

Descendants

Through his daughter Mary, he was a grandfather of Lilian Gray Farlee (1859–1894), who married Dr. Charles Loomis Dana, a physician, professor of nervous and mental disease at Cornell Medical College, in 1882.

References

  • Mr. Lincoln and New York: George Opdyke
  • Biographical Sketches of the State Officers and Members of the Legislature in the State of New York in 1859 by Wm. D. Murphy (pages 202f; C. Van Benthuysen, Albany NY, 1859)