August 13: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

August 13, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1913, the Eagle reported, “ALBANY — William Sulzer, governor of New York, was impeached by the lower house of the Legislature at 5:16 o’clock this morning, after an all-night session, by a vote of 79 to 45, on charges of having diverted campaign contributions to his private use and having made under oath a false statement as to his campaign receipts. The impeachment of Governor Sulzer has raised a vital question as to whether under the Constitution the governor will vacate his office pending final adjudication of the impeachment issue by the Senate and Court of Appeals sitting jointly as a trial court. The indications are that he will contest bitterly the theory of the opposition that he becomes automatically barred from exercising the functions of the office the moment the Articles of Impeachment are formally presented to the Senate, and that he will be disqualified from resuming the duties of executive until the Court of Impeachment fails to sustain these charges … Immediately word was sent out to the waiting newspapermen that the governor was too busy consulting counsel to see reporters and probably would have nothing to say during the day. When Chester C. Platt, secretary of the governor, was asked if any progress had been made in formulating the governor’s legal program, he answered: ‘None that we care to speak of at his time.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1932, the Eagle reported, “Worn by the ouster proceedings at Albany, Mayor [Jimmy] Walker today was resting at the Larchmont estate of his friend, A.C. Blumenthal, real estate and theatrical magnate, who has offered him a $100,000 a year job if he is removed by the governor. He received a noisy reception, spectacularly staged by some of his Tammany friends, when he arrived at 8 p.m. last night at Grand Central Station, Manhattan. Girls brought from a flower shop by Peter J. Capel, head of the New York Jewelers Exchange, scattered roses in the mayor’s path as he walked down the platform. A crowd of some 5,000, attracted by the presence of 150 policemen, cheered. A band blared and the flashlights of cameramen boomed. Among those who greeted the mayor were Police Commissioner [Edward P.] Mulrooney, Fire Commissioner [John J.] Dorman and many lesser public and political figures. The mayor dismissed questions about his hearing before the governor with a single sentence: ‘I feel so far that I have met every challenge and I propose to meet every challenge on my official conduct.’ Blumenthal was vague as to the job he is ready to give the mayor. ‘No, it is not in the movies,’ he smiled in answer to a direct question. ‘Well, what then?’ he was asked. ‘Why not as a lawyer?’ he replied and dismissed the subject.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1933, the Eagle reported, “HAVANA (A.P.) — President Gerardo Machado, center of Cuba’s political tornado, was swept from office today by a revolt of the army, and with the crash of his regime a yelling, singing mob sacked the presidential palace and slew five members of the hated secret police. Altogether 21 persons were killed and more than 200 wounded in the Havana riots. Manuel De Cespedes, shy and scholarly diplomat whose father was Cuba’s first revolutionary president, was chosen to succeed Machado. Machado fled the island late today by airplane, bound for Nassau, the Bahamas. He boarded an amphibian plane which roared away at 3:30 p.m. He was accompanied by five other men, apparently a bodyguard … No information as to the whereabouts of the members of the deposed executive’s family could be obtained. The embattled Machado, finally defeated when his compact, well-disciplined little army rebelled against him en masse, gave up the fight at 10 o’clock this morning and sent to Congress a request for a leave of absence. Thus the main feature of the mediation plan sponsored by United States Ambassador Sumner Welles upon the authority of President [Franklin] Roosevelt and approved by government and opposition political groups in the island republic — retirement of President Machado — was accomplished.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who was born in Brooklyn in 1946; former N.Y. Yankees shortstop Fred Stanley, who was born in 1947; opera star Kathleen Battle, who was born in 1948; Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke, who was born in 1949; “United 93” director Paul Greengrass, who was born in 1955; “The Partridge Family” star Danny Bonaduce, who was born in 1959; weather anchor Sam Champion, who was born in 1961; “Mad Men” star John Slattery, who was born in 1962; “Goodfellas” star Debi Mazar, who was born in 1964; former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was born in 1982; Olympic gold medalist and NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, who was born in 1990; and “Captain America” star Sebastian Stan, who was born in 1982.

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NO WAY OUT: The Berlin Wall was erected on this day in 1961. Early in the morning, the Communist East German government closed the border between the east and west sectors of Berlin with barbed wire to discourage further population movement to the West. Telephone and postal services were interrupted, and later in the week a concrete wall was built to strengthen the barrier between official crossing points. The wall remained in place for 27 years.

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A HERO’S EXIT: Mickey Mantle died on this day in 1995. The Oklahoma native was signed by the N.Y. Yankees after high school and roamed the outfield at the Stadium from 1951 to 1968. He led the Yankees to seven World Championships while winning three MVP awards and a Triple Crown, despite a slew of injuries that left him in pain for the rest of his life. Mantle succumbed to alcoholism after his retirement and received a liver transplant in June 1995. Shortly before his death, he recorded a video message for his fans, saying, “This is a role model. Don’t be like me.” He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1974.

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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.

Quotable:

“A team is where a boy can prove his courage on his own. A gang is where a coward goes to hide.”

— Mickey Mantle, who died on this day in 1995