author
Franklin Edson
1832–1904
A successful New York merchant who rose to become mayor in the 1880s, he is remembered as a practical civic leader during a fast-changing period in the city’s history.
1 Audiobook
Opening Ceremonies of the New York and Brooklyn Bridge, May 24, 1883
by William C. Kingsley, Franklin Edson, Seth Low
About the author
Born in Chester, Vermont, on April 5, 1832, Franklin Edson built his early career in business rather than literature. He worked in Albany in his brother’s distillery, later moved into the produce trade, and eventually became a prominent merchant in New York City.
Edson was best known in public life as mayor of New York City, serving from 1883 to 1884. Before and alongside politics, he was active in the city’s commercial world and was associated with the New York Produce Exchange, reflecting the strong link between business leadership and civic influence in nineteenth-century New York.
He died in New York City on September 24, 1904. While he is not chiefly remembered as an author, his life still offers a vivid glimpse of the businessmen-turned-public figures who helped shape the city in that era.