National Affairs: Old Grey Mayor

The abdication was tastefully austere. Frank Hague, for 30 years Mayor of Jersey City and brass-knuckled overlord of Hudson County politics, simply summoned newsmen to City Hall and announced: “I am retiring.”

Then he handed them a mimeographed statement. The Mayor, it explained, was retiring because of his age—he claims to be 71, is suspected of being closer to 75. “In justice to my city and my family,” he said, “I must pass on the heavy burden of administrative duties to younger men.” The younger man he had in mind was his nephew, Frank Hague Eggers, 46. On June 17, Eggers would officially take over as mayor, when Hague’s city commissioners officially elect him.

Through the dingy corridors of City Hall, the big news typhooned. Within half an hour, hundreds of jobholders dutifully swirled into Boss Hague’s office to wish him luck. They also took care to shake hands heartily with Heir Apparent Eggers. By noon, 2,000 citizens overflowed into the streets. All city business was suspended for the day.

Boss Hague made it plain that he was not retiring as chairman of the Democratic Party in Jersey City, Hudson County and the state of New Jersey. Nor was he retiring as Eastern vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee. “Don’t worry,” he told the faithful, “I’ll be around for a long time.”

“I Am the Law.” In his heyday—the ’30s—Hague had ruled Jersey City with an almost absolute power. “I am the law,” he once said, and he meant it. From Jersey City he controlled governors, judges, U.S. Senators. But the cost of Hague came high. As the taxes rose, people and industries moved away. After 1940, Hague’s machine became less & less effective at the polls, lost most of its state patronage. Last month, in Hoboken, a Hague henchman, Mayor Bernard McFeely, was defeated for re-election (TIME, May 26). Frank Hague could read the portents.

Two years remained of his eighth term as mayor. By walking out now, he could give nephew Eggers those two years to learn the ropes. Eggers would gradually be given Hague’s other jobs, and Uncle Frank could devote more time to watching horse races. This was fine, except that many veteran Jersey City ward leaders were worried about the future. At week’s end, there were rumblings of revolt against untried nephew Eggers.