William Lafayette Strong

William Lafayette Strong (March 22, 1827 – November 2, 1900) was the 90th Mayor of New York City from 1895 to 1897. He was the last mayor of New York City before the consolidation of the City of Greater New York on January 1, 1898.^{[self-published source]}

Strong was born on March 22, 1827, near Loudonville, Ohio, in Ashland County. He was the son of Abel Strong, a farmer born in 1792 in Hartford, Connecticut. His mother, Hannah Burdine Strong was born in 1798, and was from Pennsylvania. Strong was the oldest of five children, and despite only a rudimentary rural education, became a clerk in a Wooster dry goods store to help support his family after the death of his father in 1840.

Strong later attended the Vermillion Institute in Hayesville, Ohio.

In 1853, Strong moved to New York City, where he worked at the L.O. Wilson and Company dry goods firm. In the Panic of 1857, the business failed and Strong moved on to work for Farnham, Dale, and Company.

By 1870, he had his own dry goods company, called William L. Strong and Company. It was very successful, opening branches in many cities and eventually making Strong a millionaire. In 1890, Strong became president of the First National Bank.

Strong was also president of the Central National Bank, president of the Homer Lee Bank Note Company, Vice President of the New York Security and Trust Company and director for the Erie Railroad and the Plaza Bank.

In the 1880s, Strong became active in politics. He ran for U.S. Congress in 1882 but was unsuccessful.

Strong, a Republican, was elected on a Fusion Party ticket by Republican and anti-Tammany Hall Democrats. Strong served as mayor of New York from January 1, 1895, to December 31, 1897, gaining an extra year on his term because of the impending consolidation of New York City, which moved elections to odd-numbered years. He won by a decisive majority of more than 42,000 votes and was joined in victory by John W. Goff, the Republican candidate for city recorder and a new Republican majority for the New York City Board of Aldermen.