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Thomas Francis Gilroy (June 3, 1840 – December 1, 1911) was the 89th mayor of New York City from 1893 to 1894.
Gilroy was born in Sligo, Ireland, and immigrated with his parents to New York City at age seven. His father died soon afterwards, and he left school at age 16 to begin working in the publishing business, where he eventually became a proofreader. He later served as a court clerk, and Deputy County Clerk and Undersheriff for New York County.
Active in the Democratic Party, from his early 20s he was a key member of the Tammany Hall organization, beginning as a messenger for "Boss" William Tweed, and serving as confidential secretary for Henry W. Genet, Tweed's Tammany Hall successor.
In 1889, Gilroy managed the successful mayoral campaign of Hugh J. Grant, and as a reward was appointed Commissioner of Public Works, a post he held from 1889 to 1893.
From 1890 to 1892, Gilroy was the titular head of Tammany Hall, the organization's Grand Sachem. In fact, the boss of the organization continued to be Richard Croker, who was the organization's unofficial leader from 1886 to 1902.
In 1893 Gilroy succeeded Grant as Mayor. His administration was largely defined by the 1894 Lexow Investigation, which uncovered widespread police department corruption that was directly linked to Tammany. Gilroy did not run for reelection, and was succeeded in 1895 by reform candidate William L. Strong, who ran with the backing of Republicans and anti-Tammany Democrats.
Gilroy was a Delegate to the 1896 Democratic National Convention. Afterwards, he withdrew from politics, and served as President of the Twelfth Ward Bank until retiring in 1901.
Family
He had a daughter, Frances E. Gilroy, who married Edward A. Maher Jr.[1]
^"The Daughter of ex-Mayor Thomas F. Gilroy Married to Edward A. Maher, Jr". The New York Times. June 3, 1897. Retrieved 2008-06-06. All Saints' Church, One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Street and Madison Avenue, presented a brilliant scene at noon yesterday, when Miss Frances E. Gilroy, daughter of ex-Mayor and Mrs. Thomas F. Gilroy, became the bride of Mr. Edward A. Maher, Jr., son of ex-Mayor of Albany Edward A. Maher, now a resident of Harlem.
