By Mary Hoar, President Emerita, Yonkers Historical Society, President Untermyer Performing Arts Council
Monday, April 12th
April 12, 1855: The Village of Yonkers was incorporated! Our little village had a waterfront just over a mile long and barely a mile wide. The population of the whole township of Yonkers, including Kingsbridge, was 7554. Hudson Park, Cooperstown, Riverdale, Mount St. Vincent, Woodlawn and other nearby places had been laid out for a short time. First president of the village was William Radford and William H. Post the first clerk.
April 12, 1937: Assistant Attorney General Ambrose McCall, while addressing the Dunwoodie Democratic Club, told the group Yonkers seemed to have an “inferiority complex” about appointing local men to important city positions.
April 12, 1940: City Manager Raymond Whitney informed the Yonkers Common Council members a few police officers retired on half-pay disability pensions were working private jobs.
Tuesday, April 13th
April 13, 1911: Three thousand people attended the debate on annexation of Yonkers to New York City, sponsored by the Yonkers Herald and held in the Yonkers Armory. Defending annexation was Arthur Burns and Samuel Untermyer; against annexation were Arthur Birkins and James Hunt. This was the first time Untermyer had spoken at a public gathering since he had purchased Greystone, and made it know he was glad to speak to his Yonkers neighbors about this very important topic. Hunt had not spoken in public on the topic, while both Burns and Birkins previously had spoken passionately on their opposing positions.
April 13, 1917: All Yonkers Boy Scouts met at Yonkers City Hall to pledge their support to perform any duty they might be called on to do during the war.
Wednesday, April 14th
April 14, 1937: Despite protests from Board President Maurice Blinken that “no vacancies exist under the law,” the Board of Education created 88 new and permanent positions in the Yonkers school system, and hired teachers to fill them. Board President Blinken was the grandfather of our current Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
April 14, 1943: Charles Wallace, a regular at the City Club, had to warn War Transportation Administrator Sheldon Pollock not to sit on the club’s newest members. After the City Club made the decision to allow women in the club, Gloria the stray cat arrived to stay, and was given the run of the place as a member in good standing. She was allowed to sit wherever she wanted, especially for her afternoon nap. This day she snoozed on a comfortable dark easy chair, pretty much the same color as her fur coat. If it had not been for Wallace’s warning, Pollock would have sat right on her.
Thursday, April 15th
April 15, 1911: A group of prominent Yonkers residents met at the YMCA to draft a petition to the New York Legislature opposing the proposed legislation to annex Yonkers to New York City. The group adopted the slogan, “Home Rule for Yonkers” and named officers. John Ten Eyck of Belmont Terrace was named Chairman and Lee J. Vance, Secretary.
April 15, 1923: Yonkers put new one-way traffic rules into effect in the Getty Square area. Wells Avenue from Broadway to Warburton, Prospect Street from Broadway to Riverdale and Main Street from Getty Square to Warburton headed west. Hudson Street from Broadway to Riverdale and North Broadway from the Square to Wells Avenue headed east.
April 15, 1937: After Public Safety Commissioner Denis Morrissey appeared before the Aldermanic Committee, the Common Council dropped its unofficial inquiry into Yonkers Police officers lobbying on behalf of the Esquirol-Hill Bill. This bill prohibited referendums on charter changes unless at least 50% of the residents signed a petition requesting the change.
Friday, April 16th
April 16, 1914: Alexander Smith Cochran was in Neponset to inspect the Vanitie, the yacht he was having built to defend the America’s cup. Cochran was pleased with the progress and thought the Vanitie should be ready to launch by the end of the month.
April 16, 1945: Reverend Van Gibson of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church proudly showed his prize possession, a letter from the late President Franklin Roosevelt about the biography the reverend wrote about another Yonkers rector, Bishop Freeman. Roosevelt said, “I was glad to learn of your decision to publish a biographical volume as a tribute to our old friend. The Bishop was loved and admired by all who knew him.” Roosevelt had passed away that year on April 12th.
Saturday, April 17th
April 17, 1925: Lawrence Park West’s Frederick Roy Martin, retiring General Manager of the Associated Press, was presented a silver service in appreciation of his “efficient and faithful service” with the organization at a dinner held in his honor at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
April 17, 1943: Yonkers Postmaster William Cronin, Chairman of the Russian War Relief of Yonkers, announced the kickoff of Yonkers involvement in their campaign to send 5,000,000 letters of friendship from Americans to our Soviet allies by June 22. The letters were to contain messages of cheer and courage, and be addressed to a Soviet Farmer, a Friend in a Moscow School, a Red Army Nurse, etc. June 22nd would be designated as “Tribute to Russia Day,” commemorating the third year of war for the Soviet Union. More than 2,000 cities, towns and villages in the US participated in this campaign and also were collecting used clothing, old watches, and medical and dental instruments for Russia.
Sunday, April 18th
April 18, 1924: The will of the late Yonkers composer Carl Lachmund of Valentine Lane was filed in the New York Surrogate’s Court. It only was four lines, leaving everything to his widow Mathilde Lachmund. It was stated in the court his will was one of the most nearly perfect holographic wills ever presented there.
April 18, 1940: Long time Yonkers resident Thomas Beer passed away suddenly. A biographer, novelist and short-story writer, his most popular work was “The Mauve Decade.
April 18, 1946; CIO Local 682 President Newell Gilmour, representing the CIO teachers in the Yonkers Schools, asked Mayor Frank to support an ordinance giving full pay cut restorations to teachers and other city employees for the entire year of 1946.
For more information on the Yonkers Historical Society, Sherwood House and our upcoming events, please visit our website www.yonkershistoricalsociety.org, call 914-961-8940 or email yhsociety@aol.com.
