Abraham Beame facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Abraham Beame
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Beame in 1965
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| 104th Mayor of New York City | |
| In office January 1, 1974 – December 31, 1977 |
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| Preceded by | John Lindsay |
| Succeeded by | Ed Koch |
| 36th and 38th New York City Comptroller | |
| In office January 1, 1970 – December 31, 1973 |
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| Mayor | John Lindsay |
| Preceded by | Mario Procaccino |
| Succeeded by | Harrison J. Goldin |
| In office January 1, 1962 – December 31, 1965 |
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| Mayor | Robert F. Wagner, Jr. |
| Preceded by | Lawrence E. Gerosa |
| Succeeded by | Mario Procaccino |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Abraham David Birnbaum
March 20, 1906 London, England |
| Died | February 10, 2001 (aged 94) New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Mary Ingerman
(m. 1928; died 1995) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Marty Ingels (nephew) |
| Alma mater | Baruch College (degree originally conferred by the City College of New York) |
| Profession | Accountant |
Abraham David Beame (born Abraham David Birnbaum; March 20, 1906 – February 10, 2001) was an American accountant and politician. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Beame served as the 104th Mayor of New York City from 1974 to 1977. During his time as mayor, New York City faced a very serious money problem called the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis. The city was almost unable to pay its bills.
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Early Life and Education
Beame was born Abraham David Birnbaum in London, England. His parents, Esther and Philip Birnbaum, were Jewish immigrants from Poland. They had left Warsaw to escape difficult times. When Beame was only three months old, his family moved from England to the United States. He grew up in New York City, in an area called the Lower East Side.
He went to P.S. 160 and then to the High School of Commerce. After high school, he studied business at the City College of New York. This school later became Baruch College. He graduated with honors in 1928.
Career Before Becoming Mayor
Working as an Accountant
While still in college, Beame helped start an accounting company called Beame & Greidinger. An accountant is someone who manages money records for people or businesses. He also taught accounting at Richmond Hill High School in Queens from 1929 to 1946. For a short time, from 1944 to 1945, he taught accounting and business law at Rutgers University.
From 1946 to 1952, Beame worked as an assistant director for New York City's budget. Then, from 1952 to 1961, he became the city's director of the budget. In this important role, he helped manage the city's money. He also helped save the city about $40 million by setting up better management programs.
Starting in Politics
Abraham Beame was involved in politics for many years. He was part of the Democratic Party in Brooklyn. Before becoming mayor, he was elected as the New York City Comptroller twice. This job involves overseeing the city's money and making sure it's spent wisely. He served as comptroller from 1962 to 1965 and again from 1970 to 1973.
In 1965, Beame ran for mayor of New York City for the first time. He had strong support from Senator Robert F. Kennedy. However, he lost that election to the Republican candidate, John Lindsay.
Mayor of New York City
Beame ran for mayor again in 1973. He won the Democratic Party's primary election, which meant he was chosen to represent his party. Then, he won the main election and became the 104th mayor of New York City. He took office on January 1, 1974.
Beame was the first mayor of New York City who was an observant Jew. This means he followed Jewish religious traditions.
The City's Money Problems (1975)
When Mayor Beame started his term, New York City was facing its biggest money crisis ever. The city was in danger of going bankrupt, meaning it couldn't pay its bills. To try and fix this, Beame quickly cut down the number of city workers and froze their salaries. He also changed the city's budget.
In October 1975, the city owed $453 million. Mayor Beame announced that the city did not have enough cash to pay its debts that day. He said that New Yorkers needed to act fast to protect the city's important services. At first, President Gerald Ford did not want to give New York a loan. This led to a famous newspaper headline: "Ford to City: Drop Dead." But later, President Ford did approve federal help for New York City.
The Blackout of 1977
On July 13, 1977, a huge power outage hit New York City. The weather was very hot and humid. For 25 hours, the city had no electricity. Mayor Beame set up a special center at the police headquarters to deal with the emergency. The blackout caused many problems, like raw sewage washing up on beaches and food spoiling in restaurants.
After four challenging years as mayor, Beame ran for a second term in 1977. However, he did not win the primary election. He was succeeded by Ed Koch, who won the general election on November 8, 1977.
When Mayor Beame left office on January 1, 1978, the city's budget actually had a surplus of $200 million. This was a big change from the $1.5 billion deficit he faced when he started.
After Being Mayor
After leaving the mayor's office, Beame worked as an investment advisor. This means he helped people decide where to put their money to make it grow.
Personal Life
Abraham Beame was married to his childhood sweetheart, Mary Ingerman, for 67 years. They first met when Beame was 15 years old. They had two sons, Edmond and Bernard. The family lived in Brooklyn, first in Crown Heights and later in Park Slope. Beame often spent his summers in the Belle Harbor neighborhood of Rockaway.
Beame received several awards during his life for his work and contributions to the community.
In his later years, Beame had heart problems. He had heart attacks in 1991 and 2000. He passed away on February 10, 2001, at the age of 94, due to complications from surgery.
See Also
In Spanish: Abraham Beame para niños
- La Guardia and Wagner Archives
- Timeline of New York City#1950s–1970s
