On Sept. 12, 1904, the New York Sun reported that “Joy reigns tonight in Rye over the birth of a new village government.” Dissatisfaction with services from the Town of Rye and lack of representation on the town board had led residents of the unincorporated village of Rye to seek independence.
The terms of incorporation provided for the village government to be run by a board of trustees, headed by a president. William H. Parsons, one of the leaders of the independence movement, was elected as the first village president, but he died in 1905 shortly after assuming office. He and other Parsons family members donated the historic “Square House” to the village, which served as Rye’s seat of government until 1964 (see Whitman Bailey’s drawing, done in 1937).
Several board presidents resigned between 1904 and 1912, but Rye benefitted from the long and successful tenure of Theodore Fremd, who served from 1913 to 1925. In recognition of his long and valuable service to the community, the name of Railroad Avenue was changed to Theodore Fremd Avenue.
He was succeeded in 1926 by John Motley Morehead, a successful engineer and inventor who became the first mayor of Rye when the title of the office was changed from president in 1927. He held that position until 1930 when he was appointed minister to Sweden by President Hoover. A noted benefactor, he supported many civic and charitable causes in Rye, most notably by underwriting much of the cost of building the current city hall.
Livingston Platt, a close political ally of Morehead, succeeded him as mayor in 1930. A member of the state Republican party leadership and a well-connected White Plains attorney, Platt led the protracted efforts to incorporate Rye as a city.
The New York legislature approved the new charter, which was overwhelmingly endorsed by Rye residents in 1940. However, it was not until Jan. 1, 1942, that Rye officially became a city. At the same time, Livingston Platt became the city’s first mayor and served until the following year, completing 13 years of mayoral service.
When Platt resigned as Mayor in 1943 to become head of the Westchester County Republican Committee, an editorial in The Rye Chronicle stated:
“The one thing this community is most proud of is the fact that party politics has never been considered in the choice of its public officials. Ever since Rye became an incorporated village, we have been holding Citizens Caucus meetings where the voters get together, Democrats and Republicans alike, and nominate their candidates for office. It is one of the most cherished traditions….”
Platt’s two successors as mayor — Julian Beatty and Grenville Sewell — were nominated by the Citizen’s Caucus. However, in 1949, Karl Frederick ran successfully for mayor as a Republican, and The Rye Chronicle acknowledged that non-partisan politics had ended.
In the years following World War II the complexities of running the city government significantly increased demands on Rye’s civic leaders. As a result, a new government structure was adopted in 1960, leaving control of city affairs in the hands of an elected mayor and council while a professional city manager assumed responsibility for administering city departments.
