Lawrence Fagan (January 1, 1851 - May 9, 1921) was an American business owner and Democratic politician who served as the twenty-second mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, and served in the New Jersey General Assembly for two terms from 1889 to 1890.
Biography
Fagan was born on
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...
, January 1, 1851, in
Dublin, Ireland
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cen ...
and emigrated to the United States with his parents as a child. After being educated in public schools, Fagan became a blacksmith's apprentice. In 1872, Fagan partnered with Issac Mansfield to form Architectural Iron Works, a manufacturing company which provided structural and decorative iron. He served as a volunteer fireman, and became interested in politics. Fagan was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1888 and served two terms. While an Assemblyman, Fagan became known for his proposal to split Hudson County by allowing the northern towns to secede and form a new Hamilton County.
Fagan was a co-founder and part owner of the "Hoboken Observer" newspaper in 1893, which later became the "Hudson Observer"
He was indicted by a
grand jury
A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...
in 1899.
He died on May 9, 1921, at his home on 1000 Hudson Street, Hoboken, NJ.
Political career
Fagan first entered politics as the Democratic candidate for the NJ House of Assembly in 1888. His opponent was William Letts. During his first term, he was a member of the committees on ways and means, municipal corporations, unfinished businesses, State Library, and Soldier's Home. Fagan was part of a movement to divide Hudson county into two parts, naming the southern half "Hamilton County" after
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795.
Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...
. He was re-elected in both 1889 and 1890.
On April 1, 1893, Lawrence Fagan was elected the mayor of Hoboken, having received 3463 of the 6,123 total votes. His opponent was John H. Tangemann. Fagan was elected in April 1893 as a reform candidate against the Hudson County
political machine
In the politics of Representative democracy, representative democracies, a political machine is a party organization that recruits its members by the use of tangible incentives (such as money or political jobs) and that is characterized by a hig ...
known as the "Ring." He was re-elected in 1895, 1897, and 1899. He did not run again for several years, having re-entered politics to campaign for Hoboken Mayor again. He lost to Republican Opponent George Gonzales, giving him his first political defeat.
Fagan Iron Works
Following his partnership with Issac Mansfield, Lawrence Fagan became the proprietor of the Fagan Iron Works, a prominent foundry located initially in Hoboken, and later relocated to
Jersey City
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Holland Tunnel. The Property was bounded by Coles and Monmouth Streets, and 13th and 15th Streets in Jersey City. The Fagan Iron Works burned during the night between May 2 and May 3, 1905.