Frank Hague served as the mayor of Jersey City for much of the early twentieth century. While some believed him a thief, others viewed him as a modern-day Robin Hood. He could put food on your table or triple your taxes, give you a job or end your career. It was with this same ease and power that he could make you a federal judge, a congressman or even a United States senator. He has been remembered as one of the most corrupt politicians of the century. But in this biography, Leonard Vernon reexamines Hague s deeds, prompting a new understanding of his life and the memory of politicians of the era.
The Life & Times of Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague
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About the Author
Dr. Leonard Vernon, of Laurel, New Jersey, is a recognized expert on Frank Hague. He is a well-known local author, and his works include Jewish South Jersey and Jersey City Medical Center, and well as A Profession Persecuted: The History of the Chiropractic Profession in New Jersey.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Dr.Leonard F.Vernon,the author of this book,may well be a"recognized expert on"the subject of this biography,former Jersey City mayor Frank"I AM THE LAW"Hague..Vernon may well be able to tell us what Hague's shoe size was,or how often he dined at a particular eatery,but as far as producing an objective biography "fuggetaboutit"...
Vernon implies that poor old boss Hague hasn't got the sort of post-mortem recognition thatother political rogues have,old time bosses such as Curley of Boston or Daley of Chicago..Indeed,in the first few pages of his book Vernon goes to great lengths to attempt to darken the already dark reputations of Curley and Daley,attempting at the same time to suggest that if rogues like this can have parks,arenas and schools named after them after all of thier bad deeds why not Frank Hague as well?
Is is impudent to suggest that perhaps those who choose to honor the likes of Curley and Daley are at best misguided,and that the lack of such undeserved honors here in New Jersey for a dictatorial rogue like Hague speaks well of our notions as to who does and who does not deserve such honors?
Vernon claims,among other bizarre notions,that Hague ought to be honored because he provided turkey dinners for the poor at thanksgiving and christmas..Boss Tweed of new york city did the same while robbing that city blind.Vernon beats up on Boss Daley citing the so-called "police riot"that took place during the 1968 democratic convention in chicago,harrumphing about what a stain that episode was and how well-deserved the stink of it was,gloating that said stink forever sticks to Daley's memory..That"police riot" was broadcast live..It is perhaps a good thing for Vernon's guy Hague that live television did not exist during the 30 years that Hague was in charge,in that Hague's police force was responsible for numerous acts of brutal violence perpetrated upon those whom the boss did not favor and/or those like Eugene V.Debbs whose political philosophy contradicted Hague's.Vernon even suggests,absurdly it must be pointed out,that Hague built up the Jersey City police force into one of the best in the state while under-reporting(at best)the fact that Hague used that police force to enforce his political will.
Hague entered politicals dirt poor and exited a multi-millionaire.Funny how a guy who held posts with modest paychecks managed to aquire all of those millions and not,according to Vernon's implications,be corrupt.Vernon does not really explain this paradox,at least not to my satisfaction.
Boss Hague did indeed build a massive hospital in Jersey City,one in which the ability to pay for services rendered was not important..But staff was paid,costs were taken care of...How?The rather vague and often incredible explainations concerning this beggers one's imagination,in that Hague was able,at will,to ruin or make careers,double and even triple taxes(if so inclined)and made sure that any and all doing business in Jersey City knew that thier careers,thier livlihoods,all aspects of thier day-to-day lives were 100% dependent upon the needs wants and caprices of Boss Hague.Build a hospital and than run it without even a hint of corruption?Not likely.The boss named this hospital after his mother..No one objected,because to do so was to put oneself at risk as long as one chose to live or work in Jersey City(as a footnote it should be noted thatBoss Daley,Boss Curley,even adolf Hitler all loved thier mothers)..
Vernon's aim,apparently ,is to present a"rehabilitated"image of the old boss..Vernon,in attempting this feat trashes most earlier works on Hague,claiming that they were partisan and/or retaliatory in nature and thus cannot begin to reflect tghe"real'Frank Hague...
...Balderdash!The"real"Frank Hague was a despot..He was New Jersey's version of Richard Croker,another corrupt new york city boss and,like Croker he was never actually caught or convicted of any"crime"despite the evidence,ample in both cases,that both men were indeed soiled at best.
On the plus side Vernon's book is easy to read and does present a lot of real history,history that is not available elsewhere..But to get at this real history one too often has to wade through a lot of deliberate revisionism.a trait that tends to spoil the book's objectivity.
Vernon implies that poor old boss Hague hasn't got the sort of post-mortem recognition thatother political rogues have,old time bosses such as Curley of Boston or Daley of Chicago..Indeed,in the first few pages of his book Vernon goes to great lengths to attempt to darken the already dark reputations of Curley and Daley,attempting at the same time to suggest that if rogues like this can have parks,arenas and schools named after them after all of thier bad deeds why not Frank Hague as well?
Is is impudent to suggest that perhaps those who choose to honor the likes of Curley and Daley are at best misguided,and that the lack of such undeserved honors here in New Jersey for a dictatorial rogue like Hague speaks well of our notions as to who does and who does not deserve such honors?
Vernon claims,among other bizarre notions,that Hague ought to be honored because he provided turkey dinners for the poor at thanksgiving and christmas..Boss Tweed of new york city did the same while robbing that city blind.Vernon beats up on Boss Daley citing the so-called "police riot"that took place during the 1968 democratic convention in chicago,harrumphing about what a stain that episode was and how well-deserved the stink of it was,gloating that said stink forever sticks to Daley's memory..That"police riot" was broadcast live..It is perhaps a good thing for Vernon's guy Hague that live television did not exist during the 30 years that Hague was in charge,in that Hague's police force was responsible for numerous acts of brutal violence perpetrated upon those whom the boss did not favor and/or those like Eugene V.Debbs whose political philosophy contradicted Hague's.Vernon even suggests,absurdly it must be pointed out,that Hague built up the Jersey City police force into one of the best in the state while under-reporting(at best)the fact that Hague used that police force to enforce his political will.
Hague entered politicals dirt poor and exited a multi-millionaire.Funny how a guy who held posts with modest paychecks managed to aquire all of those millions and not,according to Vernon's implications,be corrupt.Vernon does not really explain this paradox,at least not to my satisfaction.
Boss Hague did indeed build a massive hospital in Jersey City,one in which the ability to pay for services rendered was not important..But staff was paid,costs were taken care of...How?The rather vague and often incredible explainations concerning this beggers one's imagination,in that Hague was able,at will,to ruin or make careers,double and even triple taxes(if so inclined)and made sure that any and all doing business in Jersey City knew that thier careers,thier livlihoods,all aspects of thier day-to-day lives were 100% dependent upon the needs wants and caprices of Boss Hague.Build a hospital and than run it without even a hint of corruption?Not likely.The boss named this hospital after his mother..No one objected,because to do so was to put oneself at risk as long as one chose to live or work in Jersey City(as a footnote it should be noted thatBoss Daley,Boss Curley,even adolf Hitler all loved thier mothers)..
Vernon's aim,apparently ,is to present a"rehabilitated"image of the old boss..Vernon,in attempting this feat trashes most earlier works on Hague,claiming that they were partisan and/or retaliatory in nature and thus cannot begin to reflect tghe"real'Frank Hague...
...Balderdash!The"real"Frank Hague was a despot..He was New Jersey's version of Richard Croker,another corrupt new york city boss and,like Croker he was never actually caught or convicted of any"crime"despite the evidence,ample in both cases,that both men were indeed soiled at best.
On the plus side Vernon's book is easy to read and does present a lot of real history,history that is not available elsewhere..But to get at this real history one too often has to wade through a lot of deliberate revisionism.a trait that tends to spoil the book's objectivity.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a short story on the late Great Mayor Hague. I found it interesting to read , being a Jersey City NJ native. I highly recommended it , but it is a short read.Some good pic in it.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is one of the first that I have read that actually treats Hague fairly. As a matter of fact it is really the only thing I have ever read that acknowledges many of the good things that he did. Vernon makes a point of spelling out how men like Curly of Boston, who were at least if not more corrupt than Hague are now idolized in Boston, while Hague's reputation is that of a dirty politician. The other interesting item was the fact that Hague's well oiled machine was so good that he really never had to resort to voter fraud to win elections. A FANTASTIC READ FOR ANYONE FROM OR WHO HAS AN INTEREST IN NEW JERSEY HISTORY AND/OR POLITICS.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Growing up in Jersey City this is a must read for all!
Growing up in Jersey City this is a must read for all!
Brought back a lot of memories.
Great job of writing.
Brought back a lot of memories.
Great job of writing.
Published 1 month ago by Michael
2.0 out of 5 stars
No information on his Early life and no critisicm of how he ammasses...
I will say I learned 2 things from the book I now know more about Mary Norton and why he wasn t loved more as some big city bosses of the era were.
Published 2 months ago by James M.Fisher Jr
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent biography
Leonard Vernon has masterfully balanced scholarly research with entertaining writing. Of particular interest is how he exposed how one biased source, when cited by other... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Dr. Christopher Kent
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Life & Times of Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague: "I Am the Law"
What's great about this book is that it highlights the complexities of Hague's legacy, complexities which echo that of the man himself. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Lev Golinkin
