Commissioner of Public Markets
Encyclopedia
The Commissioner of Public Markets, Weights, and Measures of the City of New York was a cabinet level post appointed by the mayor of New York City
during World War I
, when foodstuffs were in short supply and people began hoarding. The goal was to "set fair prices for meat and fish." The commissioner had jurisdiction over all public markets, market places and lands, and all auctioneers. The office started after World War I
and in 1968 became the Department of Consumer Affairs.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when foodstuffs were in short supply and people began hoarding. The goal was to "set fair prices for meat and fish." The commissioner had jurisdiction over all public markets, market places and lands, and all auctioneers. The office started after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and in 1968 became the Department of Consumer Affairs.
Commissioners
- Henry MoskowitzHenry MoskowitzHenry Moskowitz was a civil rights activist, and one of the co-founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.-Biography:He was born in 1879 in Romania....
, circa 1917 - Jonathan C. Day, circa 1918 fired by mayor John F. HylanJohn F. HylanJohn Francis Hylan , nicknamed "Red Mike", was the Mayor of New York City from 1918 to 1925.-Biography:Hylan was born in Hunter, New York a town in upstate Greene County where his family owned a farm. Hylan married young, became dissatisfied with farm life and moved to Brooklyn with his bride, and...
- William P. Mulry, 1919 as Acting Commissioner under mayor John F. HylanJohn F. HylanJohn Francis Hylan , nicknamed "Red Mike", was the Mayor of New York City from 1918 to 1925.-Biography:Hylan was born in Hunter, New York a town in upstate Greene County where his family owned a farm. Hylan married young, became dissatisfied with farm life and moved to Brooklyn with his bride, and...
- Edwin Joseph O'Malley, circa 1919-1927 for 7 years under mayor John F. HylanJohn F. HylanJohn Francis Hylan , nicknamed "Red Mike", was the Mayor of New York City from 1918 to 1925.-Biography:Hylan was born in Hunter, New York a town in upstate Greene County where his family owned a farm. Hylan married young, became dissatisfied with farm life and moved to Brooklyn with his bride, and...
and survived a graft investigation - Thomas F. Dwyer, circa 1930-1932. He concluded that direct rail delivery of food to the Bronx Terminal Market could have saved consumers millions of dollars.
- J. Bonynge, circa 1934
- William Fellowes Morgan, Jr.William Fellowes Morgan, Jr.William Fellowes Morgan, Jr. was the President of the Middle Atlantic Oyster Fisheries in 1925, and was the Commissioner of Public Markets for New York City around 1934 through 1942, for at least eight years. He oversaw the opening of The Bronx Terminal Market in 1935. His father was William...
, circa 1935-1939 - Daniel P. Wooley, circa 1943-1944
- Eugene G. Schulz, circa 1949
- Albert S. Pacetta, circa 1965
- Samuel J. Kearing, Jr., 1966
- Gerard M. Weisberg, 1966-68
Deputy commissioners
- William P. Mulry, 1919
- Edwin Joseph O'Malley, 1919
- Samuel BuchlerSamuel BuchlerRabbi Samuel Buchler , was the President of the Federation of Hungarian Jews in America, in 1909 in New York. He was the Deputy Commissioner of Public Markets for New York City in 1919. He was also a lawyer and Jewish chaplain at Sing Sing prison. He was charged with grand larceny in 1932 and was...
, November 1919 - Mrs. John Marshall Gallagher, circa 1922
- Mrs. Louis R. Welzmiller, circa 1922
- John Joseph Delaney, 1924 through 1931
- Alex Pisciotta, 1937
Further reading
- Columbia Law ReviewColumbia Law ReviewThe Columbia Law Review is a law review edited and published by students at Columbia Law School. In addition to articles, the journal regularly publishes scholarly essays and student notes. It was founded in 1901 by Joseph E. Corrigan and John M. Woolsey, who served as the review's first...
, volume 34, number 7; November 1934, pp. 1369-1370. "The Commissioner of Public Markets, Weights, and Measures of the City of New York refused to issue a license to the petitioner to vend ice on the ground ..."