Few figures loom larger in Jersey City’s history than Frank Hague. Often condemned as a tyrant, he reigned as mayor from 1917 to 1947. His influence, often distributed at the end of a cudgel, reached all corners of the city – and far beyond. Even President Franklin Roosevelt reportedly turned a blind eye to Hague’s rough tactics because he needed the votes that Hague’s political machine could deliver.
Yet Hague still has his admirers, whose arguments often come in the “at least Mussolini made the trains run on time” variety, sweeping aside gross misdeeds in the name of efficiency. The comparison to Il Duce is not wholly inappropriate, since more than one editorialist in the 1930s drew not-so-subtle comparisons between Hague and the European dictators of that era.
This compelling character has become the central figure in a whole genre of local lore, much of which is readily available to anyone interested in learning about the man known as “The Boss.”
THE BOSS
Dayton David McKean
THE STORY Published at the height of Hague’s rule, this tell-all account of the inner workings of his machine is the granddaddy of the genre. The groundbreaking book makes its opinion of the mayor clear – each chapter opens with a quote from Machiavelli. Not surprisingly, it is said that city libraries were forbidden from carrying the book for over a decade.
STATS Houghton Mifflin, 1940
FIND IT at the Jersey City Free Public Library
THE STATESMAN AND THE BOSS
George C. Rapport
THE STORY A comparison of Frank Hague and Woodrow Wilson, the New Jersey governor-turned-U.S. president. On the surface, the two men seem to represent polar opposites, but Rapport digs deeper to find a more complex truth. He praises Wilson’s ideals while calling out his significant political shortcomings. Conversely, he notes Hague’s effective politicking, often in the service of less-than-honorable goals.
STATS Vantage Press, 1961
FIND IT at the Jersey City Free Public Library
A CYCLE OF POWER
Richard J. Connors
THE STORY A detailed study of the entirety of Hague’s political career, from his first foray into politics as a young ward constable to his mayoral successor’s defeat in the 1949 election. Connors’s scholarly text analyzes the mechanics of Hague’s political power – how he “gained, held and lost” it.
STATS The Scarecrow Press, 1971
FIND IT at the Jersey City Free Public Library
THE LAST THREE MILES
Steven Hart
THE STORY Subtitled “Politics, Murder, and the Construction of American’s First Superhighway,” this highly readable tome focuses on Hague’s little-discussed role in the politically tinged erection of the Pulaski Skyway. In embarrassing detail, Hart catalogues the oversights, bureaucratic compromises and turf wars that determined the Skyway’s hazardous design and led to its reputation as “Death Avenue.”
STATS The New Press, 2007
FIND IT in bookstores
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