Jonathan Trotter (1797 – April 5, 1865) was an English-American manufacturer and politician.

Life

Trotter was born in 1797 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He immigrated to America in 1818, settling in Manhattan. He worked as a morocco dresser on Roosevelt Street. In 1825, he began building a factory for leather dressing in the village of Brooklyn. In 1829, he moved to Brooklyn and his factory became a success.[1]

In 1833, Trotter was elected a trustee of Brooklyn.[2] In 1834, when Brooklyn was officially chartered as a city, he was elected alderman of the 4th ward. In May 1835, he was elected the second Mayor of Brooklyn. He was re-elected in 1836 and served until 1837. As mayor, he laid the cornerstone for the original Brooklyn City Hall, which was later deemed too large.[3]

Trotter lost his fortune in the Panic of 1837. In 1840, he moved back to Manhattan.[3] He was elected to the New York City Board of Assistant Alderman and served as president of the board in 1852[4] and 1853. He was a passenger on the train of the 1853 Norwalk rail accident, but survived.[5] In 1858, he was appointed first clerk of the Street Commissioner's office.[6] In 1859, he was appointed Collector of Assessments.[7]

Trotter was a member of the Democratic Party[8] and a sachem of the Tammany Society.[9] He served as the first president of the Atlantic Bank of Brooklyn, and was vice-president of the Leather Manufacturers Bank of New York.[10]

Trotter died on April 5, 1865.[3] He was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery.

References

  1. ↑ Stiles, Henry R. (1869). A History of the City of Brooklyn. Vol. II. Brooklyn, N. Y. p. 250.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ↑ "Village Election". The Long-Island Star. Vol. XXV, no. 18. Brooklyn, N. Y.: Alden Spooner. 9 October 1833. p. 2.
  3. 1 2 3 "Death of Hon. Jonathan Trotter". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 25, no. 75. 7 April 1865. p. 3.
  4. ↑ "The President of the Board of Assistant". Brooklyn Evening Star. Vol. XLIV, no. 3604. 10 September 1852.
  5. ↑ "Another Frightful Calamity". New York Herald. No. 7441. 7 May 1853. p. 1.
  6. ↑ "Street-Commissioner's Appointment". The New York Times. Vol. VII, no. 2064. 1 May 1858. p. 8.
  7. ↑ "Appointments by the Street Commissioner". The New York Herald. No. 8322. 18 June 1859. p. 1.
  8. ↑ "Questions Answered". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 49, no. 318. 17 November 1889. p. 6.
  9. ↑ "Election of Tammany Sachems". Buffalo Daily Courier. Vol. XXIV, no. 67. 20 April 1859. p. 2.
  10. ↑ "Mayors of Brooklyn". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 34, no. 194. 16 August 1873. p. 4.
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