John Lindsay

John Lindsay
Lindsay, c. 1969
104th Mayor of New York City
In office
January 1, 1966 – December 31, 1973
Preceded byRobert F. Wagner Jr.
Succeeded byAbraham Beame
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 17th district
In office
January 3, 1959 – December 31, 1965
Preceded byFrederic Coudert
Succeeded byTheodore R. Kupferman
Personal details
Born
John Vliet Lindsay

(1921-11-24)November 24, 1921
New York City, U.S.
DiedDecember 19, 2000(2000-12-19) (aged 79)
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (before 1971)
Democratic (1971–2000)
Spouse(s)
Mary Harrison
​
(m. 1949)​
EducationYale University (BA, LLB)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
RankLieutenant
Battles/wars

John Vliet Lindsay (/vliːt/; November 24, 1921 – December 19, 2000) was an American politician and lawyer. He was the mayor of New York City from 1966 to 1973. He was also a regular guest host of Good Morning America. Lindsay was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from January 1959 to December 1965. He unsuccessfully ran for President of the United States in 1972.

Mayor of New York City

As mayor, Lindsay was on the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, known as the Kerner Commission, and was its vice chairman. In the report, Lindsay supported the findings that there was massive racial injustices in the United States.[1][2] After Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, Lindsay traveled to black neighborhoods where riotting was happening to talk to the Black community and made promises to tackle racial injustices.[3] Some say because of this, Lindsay stopped more riots from happening in New York City.[4][5]

In 1971, during his second term as mayor, Lindsay switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party.

For his services as mayor of New York City, Lindsay was given a Special Tony Award in 1973.[6][7]

After city hall

Lindsey also unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 1980.

After leaving office, Lindsay returned to the law. In 1975, Lindsay made a surprise appearance on the Tony Awards telecast. He also had some acting roles such as in Otto Preminger's Rosebud.[8] He also wrote a novel, The Edge.[9]

Health and death

In 1996, he was given a special role in the New York City government by Mayor Rudy Giuliani because he needed insurance to cover his medical bills for his Parkinson's disease.[10]

Lindsey died on December 19, 2000 at his home in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina from pneumonia caused by Parkinson's disease, aged 79.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Hrach, Thomas J. (2008). The News Media and Disorders: The Kerner Commission's Examination of Race. ISBN 9780549689546. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  2. ↑ "'Our Nation Is Moving Toward Two Societies, One Black, One White—Separate and Unequal": Excerpts from the Kerner Report." History Matters. https://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6545/
  3. ↑ "Parks and Recreation: Harlem at a Crossroads in the Summer of '69". Poverty & Race. Poverty and Race Research Action Council. June 2017.
  4. ↑ Risen, Clay (2009). "April 4: U and Fourteenth". A nation on fire: America in the wake of the King assassination. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-17710-5.
  5. ↑ Online excerpt from Clay Risen 2009
  6. ↑ "John Lindsay Tony Awards Stats". Broadway World. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Winners and Honorees". Tony Awards. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  8. ↑ "John V. Lindsay". IMDb.
  9. ↑ Andy Newman; Sam Roberts (October 17, 2013). "New York Today: The Ex-Mayors". New York Times. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  10. ↑ Van Gelder, Lawrence. Ailing Lindsay Is Given Posts To Get City Health Insurance, New York Times, May 3, 1996.
  11. ↑ McFadden, Robert D. (December 21, 2000). "John V. Lindsay, Mayor and Maverick, Dies at 79". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved June 17, 2025.

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