Robert Moses

Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid-20th century. He is regarded as one of the most powerful and influential people in the history of New York City and New York state. Though he was never elected to public office, Moses held many important jobs at once, including New York City Parks Commissioner and chairman of the Long Island State Park Commission.

Moses built many big projects that changed New York forever. He created beautiful parks like Jones Beach State Park, helped design the New York State Parkway System, and built important bridges such as the Triborough Bridge, the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel, and the Throgs Neck Bridge. His work shaped how cities in the United States were designed and built.

Over time, Moses's reputation changed. Some people felt his projects hurt certain neighborhoods and communities. A famous book called The Power Broker by Robert Caro talked about how Moses made decisions that many now see as unfair or unfair to poorer areas. Because of this, Robert Moses remains a important but controversial figure in the history of New York and urban planning.

Background

Robert Moses was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on December 18, 1888. His parents were German Jewish and moved the family to New York City in 1897. Moses went to school in New Haven and later attended Yale College, Oxford University, and Columbia University.

In 1915, he married Mary Louise Sims, and they had two daughters. After she passed away in 1966, he married his secretary, Mary Alicia Grady, later that same year.

Career

Robert Moses was a key figure in shaping New York City and its surrounding areas during the early to mid-1900s. He started his career by working with government leaders to change how the state was run. With their support, he helped create important parks and protected natural areas, like Jones Beach State Park.

Moses held many important jobs over the years, giving him great influence over how New York grew. He was in charge of parks, bridges, and many other projects. His work helped build many of the roads, parks, and public spaces that people still use today. Because he was ready with plans when the government had money to spend, New York received a lot of support to build these important features.

Influence

During the 1920s, Robert Moses worked with and sometimes against leaders like Franklin D. Roosevelt to build important roads and parks in New York. He was key in creating many of New York’s state parks and also helped change how the state government was organized.

In the 1930s, Moses helped build many public swimming pools around New York City using money from a special program to create jobs during tough economic times. These pools were built to serve thousands of people and became popular spots for swimming.

Moses also had a big role in building major bridges and tunnels in New York, like the Triborough Bridge, which connected different parts of the city. He wanted to build more connections between areas but sometimes faced opposition from people who lived near the planned routes. His big projects shaped how New York grew and developed for many years.

Death

In his final years, Robert Moses enjoyed swimming and stayed active at the Colonie Hill Health Club.

He passed away from heart disease on July 29, 1981, at age 92 at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, New York.

Legacy

Many places and roads in New York State are named after Robert Moses. These include two state parks called Robert Moses State Park – Thousand Islands in Massena, New York and Robert Moses State Park – Long Island, the Robert Moses Causeway on Long Island, and the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant in Lewiston, New York. The Niagara Scenic Parkway in Niagara Falls, New York was once named after him but was changed in 2016. The Moses-Saunders Power Dam in Massena, New York also carries his name. There is a school named after him in North Babylon, New York, and a Robert Moses Playground in New York City. A statue of Moses stands next to the Village Hall in Babylon Village, New York.

During his time leading the state park system, New York’s parks grew to nearly 2,600,000 acres. He built 658 playgrounds in New York City, along with 416 miles of parkways and 13 bridges. Today, New York uses special public benefit corporations for most of its infrastructure projects, which makes up 90% of the state’s debt.

Appraisal

Criticism and The Power Broker

Robert Caro’s 1974 biography, The Power Broker, described how Robert Moses started projects that cost more than the money approved, knowing more funds would later be needed. He was also accused of using his power to help friends, like moving a road to avoid rich people’s homes but telling farmers it was for “engineering reasons.” Some said he spread unfair rumors about officials who disagreed with him.

Many critics felt Moses cared more about cars than people. They said he moved many families and changed neighborhoods by building highways. These changes hurt places like the South Bronx and Coney Island’s amusement parks. They also believe his focus on highways stopped the growth of public transport, making it harder for people without cars to visit parks and other places.

Racism

Caro’s book also talked about Moses making it hard for some groups to use parks. For example, he built low bridges to prevent buses from reaching certain areas. There were also stories about him making it difficult for some people to visit Jones Beach. Moses spoke against certain groups moving into neighborhoods meant for veterans after World War II.

Moses defended his actions by saying that moving people was needed to improve cities.

Reappraisal

Some scholars think Moses deserves more credit. They say his big projects were finished quickly, even during tough times like the Great Depression. They believe New York might not have recovered without his work on parks, playgrounds, and housing. In 2007, some experts said people today often don’t notice how much his projects helped the city. Some leaders think his style of getting things done is needed again today.

In popular culture

Robert Moses has been featured in many songs, TV shows, movies, and plays. A song by John Forster called "The Ballad of Robert Moses" makes fun of him. In the TV show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, there is a joke about a college that was once called "Robert Moses College for Whites" but was changed to include everyone. A band named Sick of It All made a song calling him unfair, and another band is even named after him, called Bob Moses. In the web series Dimension 20, a character based on Moses is the main villain. The character Moses Randolph in the movie Motherless Brooklyn is also inspired by him. During the COVID pandemic, The New York Times noticed that Robert Moses's famous book The Power Broker often appeared as a background prop on TV. In the 2021 movie West Side Story, protesters hold signs against Moses during a song. A 2022 play called Straight Line Crazy shows how Moses changed New York City. A character in the graphic novel Blacksad is based on Moses too.