Guide to the records of Mayor George B. McClellan Jr ...

NEW YORK CITY MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES

31 CHAMBERS ST., NEW YORK, NY 10007

Guide to the records of Mayor

George B. McClellan Jr.,

1904-1909

Collection No. 0003

Original processing by unknown archivist, date unknown. Finding aid revised and encoded in EAD by

staff archivist Rachel Greer, 2015; updated by staff archivist Alexandra Hilton, 2017.

NYC Municipal Archives

Guide to the records of Mayor George B. McClellan Jr., 1904-1909

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NYC Municipal Archives

Guide to the records of Mayor George B. McClellan Jr., 1904-1909

Summary

Record Group: Office of the Mayor

Repository: New York City Municipal Archives, Department of Records and Information

Services, 31 Chambers St., New York, NY 10007

Title of the Collection: Office of the Mayor, George B. McClellan Jr. records

Date: 1904-1909

Creator(s): McClellan, George B. (George Brinton), 1865-1940; New York (N.Y.). Office of the

Mayor

Extent: 52.5 cubic feet

Location: The bulk of this collection is stored on-site at 31 Chambers St.

Access and Use: This collection is partially microfilmed. Patrons are required to use microfilm

for those series for which it is available. Advance notice is required for using original material.

Language: English

Preferred citation: Office of the Mayor, George B. McClellan records, 1904-1909, Municipal

Archives, City of New York

Processing note: This collection was processed by unknown persons at an unknown date.

Finding Aid updated and encoded in EAD by staff archivist Rachel Greer in 2015 with additions

by staff archivist Alexandra Hilton in 2017.

Biographical/Historical Information

George B. McClellan, Jr. was born in Dresden (later to become Germany) in 1865. Son of the

infamous Civil War General of the same name, he grew up in New Jersey and graduated from

Princeton in 1886.

In the 1890s, McClellan served on the Board of Aldermen of the City of New York, becoming

President in 1893. In 1894, during a leave of absence from Mayor Thomas Gilroy's term,

McClellan served as Acting Mayor for a few months. His political career then led him to

represent New York in the U.S. House of Representatives. McClellan was elected as a Tammany

Hall candidate in 1904, ousting Seth Low.

McClellan served as Mayor for six years, successfully beating William Randolph Hearst's

candidacy in 1905. McClellan presided over many significant changes and developments in

New York City history, including the opening of the first subway line, the opening of the

Williamsburg Bridge, the christening of Times Square, and the opening of the Battery Maritime

Terminal. By the time his tenure ended, the New York Public Library was nearly finished, Grand

Central was under construction, and Manhattan Bridge was on its way to completion. He

presided over construction of Chelsea Piers, further strengthening New York's position as a

world port. McClellan also famously tore up the licenses of over 550 motion picture exhibitors,

possibly because early movies were seen as related to vice.

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NYC Municipal Archives

Guide to the records of Mayor George B. McClellan Jr., 1904-1909

Late in his administration, McClellan moved away from Tammany politics, a move that was a

possible contributor to losing his Mayoral re-election campaign. After the end of his political

career, he taught at Princeton until 1931. He died in 1940 in Washington, DC.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains the material generated by the daily workings of the Office of the Mayor

under George B. McClellan. The majority of the material consists of correspondence, both

issued to and from City agencies and departments, and to and from the general public. The

subjects of these documents run the gamut from contemporary construction projects, such as

bridge construction and aqueduct construction, to the everyday concerns of the Fire

Department or the Department of Street Cleaning. In addition, a series of Subject Files

documents official city business including oaths of office, mayoral proclamations,

documentation of licensing and permitting, speeches given by the Mayor, among other types of

documentation. Records include one scrapbook related to McClellan's mayoralty.

Arrangement

The George B. McClellan records are arranged into six series, based on the type of material:

Series I: Departmental Correspondence Received

Series II: Departmental Correspondence Sent

Series III: Subject Files

Series IV: General Correspondence Received

Series V: General Correspondence Sent

Series VI: Scrapbook

Each series is arranged alphabetically by subject within each series. Early inventories suggest

that this collection used to be arranged chronologically and that the arrangement was revised

by a previous archivist into an alphabetical arrangement. The series themselves, however, have

retained their integrity.

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NYC Municipal Archives

Guide to the records of Mayor George B. McClellan Jr., 1904-1909

Container List

Series I: Departmental Correspondence Received

Date(s): 1904-1909

Size (Extent): 31 cubic feet

Scope and Content: This series consists of correspondence received by the Office of the Mayor

from City departments and agencies during McLellan's mayoralty. Subjects covered include

many important issues of the time including bridge construction, aqueduct construction, and

rapid transit.

Arrangement: This series is arranged alphabetically by subject.

Access: This series is available on microfilm. See rolls 1-68.

Location: 31 Chambers St., Shelf 1546-1607

Box

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Folder

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Title

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Accounts, Commissioners of

Date

1904-1909

1904 February

1904 February-March

1904 April

1904 May

1904 June

1904 July-September

1904-1909

1904 October

1904 October

1904 October

1904 October

1904 October

1904 October

1904 October

1904-1909

1904 December

1905 January

1905 February-March

1905 March-April

1905 April

1905 May

1904-1909

1905 June

1905 June

1905 July

1905 July

1905 August

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