William Vermilye Brady

New York City Mayor. He was a silversmith and jeweler when he became active in politics. A fiscally conservative Whig opposed to the Tammany Hall Democratic organization, from 1842 to 1847 Brady served as Assistant Alderman and then Alderman. In 1847 he was a successful candidate for Mayor, capitalizing on a rift in Tammany and the third party candidacy of an anti-immigration nominee to score a narrow victory, and serving until 1849. A supporter of Zachary Taylor's winning campaign for President in 1848, Brady was rewarded in 1849 with appointment as New York City's Postmaster, serving until 1853. He then went into the insurance business as a founder of the Continental Insurance Company in 1853, serving until 1857 as its first president. Brady was also a director of the Mutual Life Insurance Company, and a founder and president of the Widows and Orphans Benefit Life Insurance Company.

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