William J. Gaynor

Toll-Free

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One hundred years ago, in July of 1911, reform Mayor William J. Gaynor ended tolls on New York City’s East River bridges. As the mayor said back then, “the tolls are oppressive to many people, and inconvenient and irksome to everyone.” As Sam Roberts notes in his recent New York Times report, Gaynor thought tolls were … Read more

The Assassination of Mayor William J. Gaynor

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One hundred years ago today, August 9, New York City’s Mayor William J. Gaynor was about to embark on a well-earned vacation cruise when he was shot by a New York City watchman who recently had been fired from his job. Here’s the dramatic photograph of Gaynor’s wounding, taken just seconds after a shot had … Read more