John V. Kenny | |
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32nd Mayor of Jersey City | |
In office July 1, 1949 – December 15, 1953 (resigned) [1] | |
Preceded by | Frank H. Eggers |
Succeeded by | Bernard J. Berry |
Personal details | |
Born | John Vincent Kenny April 6, 1893 Jersey City, New Jersey |
Died | June 2, 1975 Paramus, New Jersey | (aged 82)
Political party | Democratic |
Residence | Jersey City, New Jersey |
John Vincent Kenny (April 6, 1893 – June 2, 1975) was mayor of Jersey City from 1949 to 1953. [2]
He was born on April 6, 1893. A former ward leader under longtime mayor Frank Hague, he broke with his mentor after Hague engineered the appointment of his nephew, Frank Hague Eggers, in 1947. Kenny put together a commission ticket that broke Hague's 32-year rule. Although he only served as mayor until 1953, he remained the real power in Jersey City and Hudson County for three decades. [3] Known as the "Little Guy," [4] Kenny put together a machine that grew as corrupt as Hague's machine, though nowhere as efficient in providing city and county services. [5] [6]
His rule was only broken in 1971, when he was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey and convicted, along with the then-mayor Thomas J. Whelan and former City Council president Thomas Flaherty, in federal court of conspiracy and extortion in a multimillion-dollar political kickback scheme on city and county contracts. [6]
Kenny suffered a heart attack and died on June 2, 1975, in Jersey City. He was buried in Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City. [5] [6]