George J. Zimmermann (1882–1938) was

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of the City of

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, serving 1934–1937. He was born in Buffalo on June 19, 1882. He joined his father's lumber business, eventually becoming a partner. He married Gertrude Cochrane in 1923. During the mayoral campaign, Zimmermann travelled to New York City and Washington, D.C. and secured almost $6,000,000 worth of construction to be financed with federal funds for the Fillmore-Lovejoy sewer project and Kensington High School. He was elected mayor on November 8, 1933, as the Democratic candidate. On April 18, 1936, formal charges were filed against Zimmermann to Governor

Herbert H. Lehman Herbert Henry Lehman (March 28, 1878 – December 5, 1963) was an American Democratic Party politician from New York. He served from 1933 until 1942 as the 45th governor of New York and represented New York State in the U.S. Senate from 194 ...

charging 20 alleged counts of official misconduct. Included were Zimmermann's part in the sewage disposal project and the reported "deal" with former Mayor Schwab. A grand jury indicted him. On May 1, 1936 he was arraigned, and returned to work the following day. After his term he returned to private life. He was once again indicted on March 14, 1938, by a grand jury related to his alleged activity regarding Buffalo 's $15,000,000 sewer project. A

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

jury returned guilty verdicts on six of the nine counts charged against him. While awaiting the decision from his appeal, he died on September 14, 1938, and was buried in Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Cheektowaga, New York.

References

1882 births 1938 deaths Mayors of Buffalo, New York 20th-century American politicians {{BuffaloNY-stub