
"Andrew Haswell Green (1820 - November 13, 1903) was a New York lawyer, city planner, civic leader and agitator for reform. Called by some historians a hundred years later "the 19th century Robert Moses," he held several offices and played important roles in many projects, including Riverside Drive, Morningside Park, Fort Washington Park, and Central Park. His last great project was the consolidation of the "Imperial City" or City of Greater New York from the earlier cities of New York, Brooklyn and Long Island City, and still largely rural parts of Westchester, Richmond and Queens Counties..."
http://www.rwolivers.com/green/index.html
Green, Anna Katharine
GREEN, Andrew Haswell, publicist, was born at Green Hill, Worcester, Mass., Oct. 6, 1820; son of William E. and Julia (Plimpton) Green; grandsonof John and Mary (Ruggles) Green, and of Oliver and Lydia Plimpton; great-grandson of Brig.-Gen. Timothy Ruggles (1711-1795), and a descendant
of Thomas Green, who came to America from England in 1635-36, and of Thomas Ruggles, who came from England in 1637. Andrew was educated in the public school, studied law, and practised his profession in New York city, as a partner with Samuel J. Tilden, of whose will he became an executor. He served as commissioner and president of the board of education in 1856; was a member of the Central Park commission; its executive officer and president of the board, 1857-70, and comptroller of the city of New York, 1871-76. Upon entering the comptroller's office he found an immense debt on the city caused by the extravagance of the Tweed ring, amounting to millions of dollars, and his system of checks put a stop to a method that had made possible such a condition. In 1868 he conceived the plan of Greater New York, which became a reality in 1898; was chairman of the commission under the act of 1890, and became known as the "Father of Greater New York." In 1898 he received a medal commemorating the consolidation of the municipalities about the port of New York. He also originated the suggestion of consolidation which resulted in the New York public literary, Astor, Lenox and Tilden foundations, of which he became an original trustee. He was also chairman of the commission having in charge the plans for the railroad bridge over the Hudson river to accommodateeight railroad tracks with an elevated spur for freight traffic along the water front of the river from 59th street to the Battery in New York city. He was appointed a commissioner of the State Reservation at Niagara in 1885 and was made its president. In 1883 he was appointed a state commissioner relative to the tax laws of the state of New York. Among many other projects he inaugurated the Society for the preservation of scenic and historic places and objects, the Zoölogical garden, the Museums of Art and Natural History and the Meteorological observatory, which were built up by his efforts
1820 |
October 6, 1820
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Worcester, MA, United States
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1903 |
November 13, 1903
Age 83
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New York, NY, United States
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