Mark M. Fagan (1869-1955) was an Irish Catholic mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, from 1902 to 1907 and 1913 to 1917. A native of Jersey City, he had little formal education, and as a youth, he worked for his uncle as an undertaker. A Republican, he entered politics while still in his twenties becoming a county freeholder though he was not re-elected. A few years later in 1901, Republican Party boss, Colonel Samuel D. Dickinson, asked him to run for mayor, which Fagan did and won becoming the 22nd mayor of Jersey City. At age 32, he was the youngest mayor ever elected in Jersey City. He was re-elected for three consecutive two-year terms however, after feuding with his own party, he was defeated for re-election in 1907 by H. Otto Wittpenn. He unsuccessfully ran again in 1909. In 1913, Jersey City went to a city commission form of government, and Fagan was elected commissioner. He was then chosen by his colleagues to be mayor once more. As mayor, he was famous for building schools. In 1917, he stepped down as mayor, retired from politics and continued his career as an undertaker. Legendary political boss Frank Hague succeeded him as mayor. It would be 75 years before another Republican, Bret Schundler, would be elected mayor of Jersey City. Fagan is buried in Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City.[1]
References
- ^ Holy Name Cemetery, The Political Graveyard. Accessed August 15, 2007.
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Fagan was the second youngest mayor of Jersey City. The youngest was Paul T. Jordan MD, who was 30 years old when first elected.
