James J. Coogan

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James Jay Coogan (January 16, 1846 – October 24, 1915) was the second borough president of Manhattan, serving from 1899 to 1901. He was a merchant and real estate manager who grew up in Manhattan and studied at New York University School of Law. He started as an upholsterer and opened a furniture store on the Bowery. His work with furniture laborers earned him support from the working class and brought him closer to Richard Croker, a leader of Tammany Hall. He was a Democrat and also affiliated with the United Labor Party. In 1888, he was nominated for Mayor of New York City by the United Labor Party but finished fourth; Hugh J. Grant won. He married Harriet Gertrude Lynch, daughter of real estate owner William L. Lynch, whose land included the Polo Grounds. Coogan managed these properties, and the areas known as Coogan's Bluff and Coogan's Hollow are connected to his name. He died of heart disease at the Hotel Netherland in Manhattan and was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Queens.