LINDSAY, John Vliet

(b. 24 November 1921 in New York City; d. 19 December 2000 in Hilton Head, South Carolina), lawyer, politician, and controversial Republican mayor of New York City from 1966 to 1973 who was hailed as an "urban messiah" during his first term.

Lindsay had a twin brother and was one of five children born to George Nelson Lindsay, an investment banker of English descent, and Florence Eleanor Vliet, a woman of Dutch descent who instilled in her children a love for cultural pursuits. Lindsay's grandfather was a brick manufacturer from the Isle of Wight who immigrated to the United States in 1881. Lindsay grew up as an Episcopalian and attended Saint Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire. In 1943 he studied history and earned a B.A. from Yale University, graduating in only three years in an accelerated program. Later that year, Lindsay became an ensign officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve. During World War II, he earned five battle stars as a gunnery officer aboard a destroyer. In 1948 Lindsay earned a law degree from Yale and was admitted to the New York bar. He began working for the law firm of Webster, Sheffield, Fleischmann, Hitchcock, and Christie. On 18 June 1949 he married a former school-teacher, Mary Anne Hutchison; the couple had three daughters and a son.

Lindsay was a natural for politics. Six feet, four inches tall and charismatic, handsome, and photogenic, he flashed his winning smile whenever the media were present. It was not long before he was running for Congress. He won the election in 1958 and was reelected for three succeeding terms, in 1960, 1962, and 1964. Although he came from Manhattan's affluent Seventeenth Congressional District, Lindsay was considered a liberal Republican in the 1960s because he supported civil rights and fought for more lenient immigration policies. He also sought medical insurance for the elderly. Because of his support for African-American communities, many in his party judged his policies as too pro black.

At times Lindsay chose not to go along with the Republican Party dictates. Pressuring him had no effect; he made up his own mind on issues. He criticized Governor Nelson Rockefeller, even though Rockefeller was a fellow Republican, and he supported enlarging the House Rules Committee, even though the idea was the brainchild of a Democratic president. He also helped to set up the federal Department of Urban Affairs in 1960, which his party did not want. Further irritating his colleagues, Lindsay in 1964 refused to endorse the Republican presidential candidate, Senator Barry Goldwater. Lindsay's frequent opposition to party politics had its drawbacks. He soon found his upward political climb blocked in Congress, so he decided to run for the mayor of New York City. He won the election and took office in 1966. Lindsay was the first Republican mayor since 1941 and one of the youngest ever to assume the title.

At first, Lindsay's arrival was welcomed. His renown was enhanced by his easy media presence. Soon, however, the exigencies of office began to erode his popularity. The first major challenge was the transit workers' strike. For thirteen days, New York City buses and subways were at a standstill. Before he could get them moving again, Lindsay had to agree to give workers sizable raises and benefits, which caused a strain on the city budget. Budget woes continued to grow. During Lindsay's administration, welfare spending and city workers' pension expenses nearly doubled. When the city went bankrupt in 1975, many pointed to Lindsay as the culprit who had begun the downward spiral.

Not all of Lindsay's actions were criticized as failures, however. His reorganization and consolidation of fifty city departments and agencies increased efficiency. He promoted arts and culture, revived Central Park, and created the Brooklyn Bridge bicycle path. He also helped to still racial clashes in an era when this kind of strife was almost ubiquitous in cities. In 1967 and 1968 Lindsay began to walk through the ghettos of Harlem. These walks helped to preserve racial peace during a time when riots and violence were commonplace; they were a key factor in keeping New York City from experiencing the worst of the urban crises that swept the country during the 1960s. Lindsay became famous for his trips through the black neighborhoods of Brooklyn, with children following after him. Although critics have called them mere political maneuvers, Lindsay's trips into troubled areas did seem to convey that he was genuinely concerned with the welfare of New York City's poor.

Nonetheless, Lindsay was responsible for increasing racial tensions, albeit unintentionally, when he supported a decentralized school system. Soon African-American and Jewish communities were at odds, because the decision to hire teachers was made locally and therefore each community strove to hire its own. The resulting conflict led to a teacher's strike and continued ill feelings in both the Jewish and African-American communities in the years to come. Budget problems continued to be a thorn in Lindsay's side. The Vietnam War was a further drain on New York City's budget, a situation that Lindsay deplored. Because of budget shortfalls, he had to start an income tax in 1966, double subway fares, and seek more state and federal financial assistance.

Lindsay's political triumphs seemed to be over once the 1960s ended. In 1971 Lindsay ran in the presidential primaries as a Democratic candidate. He withdrew when he lost the support of two states, however. Soon after, he gave up his career aspirations. In 1973 Lindsay retired from political office. He and his family vacationed in Europe for a year before Lindsay returned to New York City and began working for his old law firm. For a time, he also was a television commentator for American Broadcasting Company's Good Morning America. During his time as mayor, Lindsay wrote two books: Journey into Politics (1966), which dealt with his career in Congress, and The City (1970), which covered his struggles in New York City. In 1976 he published his first novel, The Edge. The story line revolves around a congressman fighting against national martial law.

Although he had retired from political office, Lindsay was not completely out of the picture. In 1981 New York City Mayor Ed Koch appointed Lindsay to the post of city trade representative. That same year Lindsay was the chair of a committee in charge of reducing court overcrowding. He also became the chair of the Port Authority board. In 1984 Lindsay became the chair of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, a position he held until a heart operation in 1988 forced him to retire. After fighting Parkinson's disease for many years, Lindsay died of complications from the disease coupled with pneumonia on 19 December 2000 in Hilton Head. During the pivotal 1960s he had been a controversial mayor; in death he was remembered as a compassionate man, hated by conservatives and loved by liberals.

A biographical essay on Lindsay can be found in the Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. (1998). Vincent J. Cannato, The Ungovernable City: John Lindsay and His Struggle to Save New York (2001), covers the irony of Lindsay's successes and failures. See also the following reviews of Cannato's book: John Podhoretz, National Review (17 Sept. 2001); Andrew White, The American Prospect (22 Oct. 2001); and Michael Barone, The Public Interest (spring 2002). Articles about Lindsay include "Lindsay's Compassion Did Not Help," Newsday (17 Jan. 2001), and Fred Siegel, "Succeeding Guiliani," Commentary (Jan. 2002). Obituaries are in the New York Times and Washington Post (both 21 Dec. 2000), and the Nation (22 Jan. 2001).

A. E. Schulthies