Jonathan Trotter (1797 – April 5, 1865) was an English-American manufacturer and politician.
Trotter was born in 1797 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He immigrated to America in 1818, settling in Manhattan. He worked as a morocco dresser on Roosevelt Street. In 1825, he began building a factory for leather dressing in the village of Brooklyn. In 1829, he moved to Brooklyn and his factory became a success. [1]
In 1833, Trotter was elected a trustee of Brooklyn. [2] In 1834, when Brooklyn was officially chartered as a city, he was elected alderman of the 4th ward. In May 1835, he was elected the second Mayor of Brooklyn. He was re-elected in 1836 and served until 1837. As mayor, he laid the cornerstone for the original Brooklyn City Hall, which was later deemed too large. [3]
Trotter lost his fortune in the Panic of 1837. In 1840, he moved back to Manhattan. [3] He was elected to the New York City Board of Assistant Alderman and served as president of the board in 1852 [4] and 1853. He was a passenger on the train of the 1853 Norwalk rail accident, but survived. [5] In 1858, he was appointed first clerk of the Street Commissioner's office. [6] In 1859, he was appointed Collector of Assessments. [7]
Trotter was a member of the Democratic Party [8] and a sachem of the Tammany Society. [9] He served as the first president of the Atlantic Bank of Brooklyn, and was vice-president of the Leather Manufacturers Bank of New York. [10]
Trotter died on April 5, 1865. [3] He was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery.
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