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New York City has one of the largest municipal governments in the US. The city’s leaders have tended to champion progressive government initiatives and have frequently used their positions as springboards to state and national political roles. Because the city has a large immigrant population, municipal leaders have often exerted influence outside the US. The city’s international role has attracted global institutions, such as the United Nations.
Fiorello H. LaGuardia served three terms as mayor of New York City. He reorganized the powerful Tammany Hall political machine and balanced the city’s budget. He focused on municipal beautification and civil construction projects like the airport that later was to bear his name.
FIORELLO H. LAGUARDIA Commemorative stamp
MEDIUM photograph, gouache, graphite
ILLUSTRATOR Robert Geissmann (1909-1976)
PHOTOGRAPHER George Fayer
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE April 24, 1972
The UN Headquarters is an example of the International Style of architecture, characterized by rectilinear forms, glass and steel, flat roofs, and open interior spaces. Popular in Europe and the US in the 1920s and 1930s, this architectural style was well-suited for large urban projects.
INTERNATIONAL STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE, UN HEADQUARTERS Celebrate the Century: 1940s
MEDIUM board, gesso, acrylic
ILLUSTRATOR Howard Koslow (b. 1924)
ART DIRECTOR Carl Herrman
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE February 18, 1999
A. Philip Randolph was a prominent labor leader and civil rights advocate who helped organize the famous 1963 March on Washington. Ahead of his time, Randolph become a labor leader when labor unions openly espoused anti-black policies and a national civil rights movement barely existed.
A. PHILIP RANDOLPH Black Heritage Series
MEDIUM paper, gouache, acrylic
ILLUSTRATOR Thomas Blackshear (b. 1955)
ART DIRECTOR Jerry Pinkney
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE February 3, 1989
Theodore Roosevelt started his political career in the New York State Assembly and later became the Governor of New York State. Elected Vice President under William McKinley, Roosevelt became the 26th President after McKinley’s assassination. He was the first President to serve entirely in the twentieth century.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT Celebrate the Century: 1900s
MEDIUMboard, gouache, acrylic, colored pencil
ILLUSTRATOR Richard Waldrep (b. 1943)
ART DIRECTOR Carl Herrman
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE February 3, 1998
Frances Perkins served as Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest-running appointee in that position and the first woman in a Presidential cabinet. Her early career began at the New York Consumers League, where she lobbied for better working hours and conditions.
FRANCES PERKINS Commemorative stamp
MEDIUM paper, graphite, ink
ILLUSTRATOR Ferdinand Ralph Petrie (b. 1925)
MODELER V. Jack Ruther
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE April 10, 1980
