Ralph A. Villani (September 11, 1901 – February 28, 1974) served as
Mayor of Newark, New Jersey from 1949 to 1953. To date he is the last elected mayor of Newark from the Republican party.
Biography
Villani was born in
on September 11, 1901, the eldest child of Anna and Carmine Villani.
[
] His parents were Italian immigrants who arrived in the United States in 1898.
[
][
]
On Tuesday, May 17, 1949 Villani was named Mayor of Newark by his fellow City Commissioners.
["Villani is Chosen as Newark Mayor; Five New Commissioners Take Oaths in City Hall -- Pledge Harmony in Government"]
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', May 18, 1949. Accessed September 29, 2009.
In 1953, a grand jury charged that Mayor Villani and other officials in the Department of Parks and Public Property, of which he served as director, had received money from employees "as salary kickbacks or payment for promotions."
["Mayor of Newark Denies 'Kickbacks'; Villani Links Jury's Charges in Parks Department Case to His Bid for Re-Election"]
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', April 12, 1953. Accessed September 29, 2009. That May, Mayor Villani and fellow City Commissioner Stephen Moran lost their respective bids for re-election. Villani was replaced as mayor by independent candidate
Leo P. Carlin
Leo P. Carlin (August 12, 1908 – December 17, 1999) was the Democratic Mayor of Newark, New Jersey from 1953 to 1962.
Biography
He was born on August 12, 1908, in Newark, New Jersey to Hugh Carlin and Annie Duffy. He was one of 22 chil ...
.
["2 Insurgents Win in Newark Voting; Mayor Villani Is Defeated, as Is Stephen Moran -- Charter Proposal Endorsed 7 to 1"]
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', May 13, 1953. Accessed September 29, 2009.
Villani died on February 28, 1974, after suffering a heart attack at his home. He was 72 years old.
References
1901 births
1974 deaths
American people of Italian descent
Mayors of Newark, New Jersey
Politicians from Elizabeth, New Jersey
20th-century American politicians
Members of the Municipal Council of Newark
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