Henry Thomas Hunt
Encyclopedia
Henry Thomas Hunt was the reform-minded mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio
from 1912 to 1913. Hunt, 33 years old when he took office, quickly became known as the Boy Mayor. Failing to win re-election, he moved to New York
and became a successful attorney.
in 1900, Henry Hunt received a law degree from Cincinnati Law School in 1903.
Hunt began his political career by joining the Committee of Nine, a group of young, idealistic neophytes bent on reforming a corrupt political system that had controlled Cincinnati and Hamilton County for decades. George B. Cox
, known far and wide as Boss Cox, ran the entrenched political machine. In 1904, Hunt was appointed to a committee organized to separate school management from political influence. In 1905, as a member of the Honest Election Committee, Hunt helped lead a municipal election campaign focused on the elimination of Bossism
. Also in 1905, Henry Hunt was nominated by the Democrats to stand for the Ohio House of Representatives
, winning election as part of a reformist landslide that swept Cox's men out of office.
In November 1908, Hunt was elected prosecuting attorney for Hamilton County. During Hunt's term, Boss Cox tried to obstruct him at every turn. Nevertheless, Hunt prevailed more often than not, closing gambling rooms and driving slot machine
s out of the county. In 1910, Hunt was re-elected to another two-year term. In 1911, Hunt's persistence and successes prompted Cox to issue a surprising announcement. Later that year, he would retire from political life.
Henry Hunt was nominated to stand for mayor of Cincinnati on the Reform Democratic ticket, winning the November 1911 election.
of September 24, 1913 characterized the two-year term of Henry T. Hunt as "a remarkable record." They concluded that the voters have "no choice save to re-elect Mayor Hunt." The achievements of Mayor Henry T. Hunt were:
One summer afternoon, Hunt saved a teenager's life:
, reaching the rank of major. In 1922, Henry Hunt entered the practice of law in New York City
.
In September, 1925, Henry T. Hunt married Eleanor M. Phelps (May 15, 1899–September 22, 1983). They lie buried beside each other in Arlington National Cemetery
.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
from 1912 to 1913. Hunt, 33 years old when he took office, quickly became known as the Boy Mayor. Failing to win re-election, he moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and became a successful attorney.
Early life
Henry and his younger brother, Philip Woodward Hunt (born November 15, 1882), were born to Samuel Hunt (born August 7, 1848), president of the Cincinnati, Portsmouth & Virginia Railroad Company, and Martha Trotter Hunt. After graduating from Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1900, Henry Hunt received a law degree from Cincinnati Law School in 1903.
Political career
George B. Cox
George Barnsedale Cox was a political boss in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, a member of the Republican Party, and associate of William Howard Taft. Cox was the son of British immigrants. As a teen during the Civil War years, he supported his widowed mother as an errand boy. Later he drove a...
, known far and wide as Boss Cox, ran the entrenched political machine. In 1904, Hunt was appointed to a committee organized to separate school management from political influence. In 1905, as a member of the Honest Election Committee, Hunt helped lead a municipal election campaign focused on the elimination of Bossism
Bossism
Bossism, in the history of the United States , is a system of political control centering about a single powerful figure and a complex organization of lesser figures bound together by reciprocity in promoting financial and social self-interest...
. Also in 1905, Henry Hunt was nominated by the Democrats to stand for the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
, winning election as part of a reformist landslide that swept Cox's men out of office.
In November 1908, Hunt was elected prosecuting attorney for Hamilton County. During Hunt's term, Boss Cox tried to obstruct him at every turn. Nevertheless, Hunt prevailed more often than not, closing gambling rooms and driving slot machine
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
s out of the county. In 1910, Hunt was re-elected to another two-year term. In 1911, Hunt's persistence and successes prompted Cox to issue a surprising announcement. Later that year, he would retire from political life.
Henry Hunt was nominated to stand for mayor of Cincinnati on the Reform Democratic ticket, winning the November 1911 election.
Mayor
The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
of September 24, 1913 characterized the two-year term of Henry T. Hunt as "a remarkable record." They concluded that the voters have "no choice save to re-elect Mayor Hunt." The achievements of Mayor Henry T. Hunt were:
- Settling a street railway strike and a strike of ice men
- Introducing inspections of tenement houses
- Appointing school nurses
- Providing for food inspection and dental service for school children
- Separating the dependent children from the delinquents in the House of Refuge
- Providing that all the children had a chance to go to school and to Sunday school
- Confronting the loan sharks until they were driven from Cincinnati
- Rooting out many abuses and sources of disease in the densely populated parts of the city
- Increased regulation and control of the corrupt administration under Boss Cox
- Suppressing gambling and closing many gambling resorts
- Rerouting the street railway lines and constructing a terminal boulevard and belt line of surface cars
- Abolishing dangerous grade crossings
- Introducing a plan to improve city sewers
- Opposing the corrupt and powerful Republican organization dominated by Boss Cox
One summer afternoon, Hunt saved a teenager's life:
Mayor Henry Hunt was standing on a street corner this afternoon, when a runaway team approached at breakneck speed. Mabel Hartford, a pretty girl of 18, was crossing the street at the time, unmindful of danger.
The Mayor jumped into the street, seized the girl and pushed her out of danger. Then he caught the bridle of one of the horses and held on. He was dragged several yards, but was not injured. After bringing the team to a standstill he continued on his way to Fountain Square, where he opened the Made-in-Cincinnati Exposition.
Later career
After losing a bid for re-election as mayor, Hunt enlisted in the Army and served during World War IWorld 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...
, reaching the rank of major. In 1922, Henry Hunt entered the practice of law in New York City
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...
.
Personal life
Henry T. Hunt married Thomasa Haydock (born September 22, 1885), daughter of Thomas T. Haydock of Cincinnati. They had three children: Barbara Carter Hunt (September 26, 1908 - July 4, 1952), Henry Thomas Hunt (born c. November, 1909) and Samuel Pancoast Hunt (born August 7, 1911). On May 8, 1920, Mrs. Thomasa Haydock Hunt filed suit in Cincinnati for a divorce from Henry T. Hunt.In September, 1925, Henry T. Hunt married Eleanor M. Phelps (May 15, 1899–September 22, 1983). They lie buried beside each other in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.
External links
- "Henry T. Hunt and civic reform in Cincinnati, 1903-1913" - Landon Warner's scholarly article published in Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.
- "Mayor Henry T. Hunt aids victims of Ohio flood."
- Biography of Mayor Hunt's father and uncle
- Biography of Mayor Hunt's paternal grandfather