Old Brooklynites elect new president
A man with a strong background in history has been elected president of an organization promoting the importance of Brooklyn’s history. Borough Historian Ronald Schweiger was elected as the 48th president of the Society of Old Brooklynites. The borough-wide civic organization has a rich history of its own. It was founded in 1880 when Brooklyn was an independent city and the third largest in the US.
Schweiger joins a long list of Brooklynites who have served at the helm of the Society, according to a statement issued by the group. Past presidents have included former Brooklyn city mayors, members of Congress, state senators, military leaders, banking and business executives, lawyers, professors, newspaper publishers and editors, writers. The first society president was former Brooklyn city mayor John Ward Hunter.
Schweiger, a retired educator, is also the current president of the Brooklyn College Alumni Association. In 2002, he was appointed to the non-salaried position of borough historian by Borough President Marty Markowitz.