Daniel A. Currie

Daniel A. Currie (October 10, 1842 – February 28, 1911) was a physician and mayor of Englewood, New Jersey. He has been credited with serving as the first mayor of the city (starting in 1896), but that was later declared to be prior to the proper incorporation of the town; Englewood was the first incorporated town in Bergen County.[1] Currie also served as mayor in 1901 to 1903.

Daniel A. Currie
Currie served during the Spanish–American War
Mayor of Englewood, New Jersey
In office
1901–1903
Preceded byElbert Adrain Brinckerhoff
Succeeded byDan Fellows Platt
Personal details
BornOctober 10, 1842
Scarsdale, New York
DiedFebruary 28, 1911

Biography

Currie was born in Scarsdale, New York in 1842, to emigrants from Scotland. The youngest of ten children, he attended college at the University of Buffalo and obtained a medical degree in 1863.[2] He practiced at first in Sullivan County, New York, and then studied for two and half years at Edinburgh University under James Young Simpson and James Syme. He returned to the United States in 1867, and first practiced in Middletown, New York, and then moved to Englewood in 1872, helping to found the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in the 1880s. He was considered one of the prominent physicians of northern New Jersey.[3]

In 1896, Englewood attempted to break off from Englewood Township and incorporate. A referendum passed in March 1896, and Currie was chosen as the first mayor. But the incorporation vote was voided by the New Jersey Supreme Court as based on an unconstitutional law. Englewood was not able to legally incorporate until 1899, by a special act of the state legislature. Elbert Adrain Brinckerhoff was then elected as the first official mayor. Currie served from 1901-03 as mayor.[1][4]

Currie also served for many years in the New Jersey National Guard, rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in that organization.[5][6][7][3][8][9][10][11] He also served in the Spanish-American War.[12][13]

As a physician, Currie was a primary expert witness in an 1899 inquiry into the safety of Army beef rations.[14][15][16][17]

In early 1909, Currie slipped on a sidewalk causing an injury to his spine which left him ill for several months.[18] As a representative on the town government, Currie was unable to attend any of the meetings, and over time the injury was deemed to be "fatal".[19] Later deemed to be cancer, Currie died at his home in Englewood on February 28, 1911 following an operation to treat the disease he had been battling for over two years.[20][21][22] His funeral procession was deemed to be the largest ever in the county, with over 1,500 people following the remains to the cemetery.[23]

References
  1. Buescher, Kristin (19 March 2019). BACK IN TIME: After Failed Attempt and Legal Battle, Englewood Became Bergen’s First City, North Valley Press
  2. "Dr. Daniel A. Currie Died Yesterday at Englewood". The Record. 1 Mar 1911. p. 7. Retrieved 16 April 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Obituary, Journal of the Medical Society of New Jersey, p. 596 (April 1911)
  4. (7 September 1902). Englewood in Lists, New York Tribune
  5. Adaline Wheelock Sterling (1922). The book of Englewood. Mayor of Englewood, New Jersey. p. 266.
  6. (11 March 1911). Housekeeper Gets Legacy From Doctor, The New York Times
  7. A history of the Second Regiment, N.G.N.J., pp. 318, 365 (1908)
  8. (2 March 1904). Lieut-Col. Currie Resigns, Paterson Daily Press
  9. (1 March 1911). Dr. Daniel A. Currie Dead, Washington Herald
  10. "Daniel A. Currie". Political Graveyard. Retrieved 2011-10-25. Currie, Daniel A. (b. 1842) — of Englewood, Bergen County, N.J. Born in Searsville, Orange County, N.Y., October 10, 1842. Physician; mayor of Englewood, N.J., 1896; colonel in the U.S. Army during the Spanish–American War. Burial location unknown.
  11. Medical Society of New Jersey, American Medicine, p. 13 (July 6, 1901) (summary of a paper by Currie on treatment of gonorrhea)
  12. Bouton-Goldberg, Bobbie. Englewood and Englewood Cliffs, p. 62 (1998)
  13. (6 December 1901). Give Skin for Comrade, New York Tribune
  14. (12 April 1899). Another Day in The Beef Court, Evening Times
  15. (6 April 1899). Chemicals in Beef, Portland Daily Press
  16. (19 April 1899). Probable verdict of the Beef Court, The Times
  17. (6 April 1899). The Army Beef inquiry, The New York Times
  18. "Englewood opposes road plan". The Record. 16 Jun 1909. Retrieved 16 April 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Major Currie is remembered". The Record. 23 Feb 1909. Retrieved 16 April 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Dr. Daniel A. Currie Died Yesterday at Englewood". The Record. 1 Mar 1911. p. 1. Retrieved 16 April 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. "Fifth Regiment Surgeon Was Burned Today". The News. 3 Mar 1911. Retrieved 16 April 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. (4 March 1911). Obituary: Dr. Daniel A. Currie, Englewood Press
  23. "Funeral of Dr. Currie was largely attended". The Record. 4 Mar 1911. Retrieved 16 April 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
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