Hugh J. Grant, who became mayor of New York City in 1889, was a Tammany Hall politician — the New York City political machine often synonymous with corruption and patronage.

The fact that he was only 30 years old only worked in his favor.

“The whole point was he was a fresh face, with a clean record,” said historian David Hammack, who wrote about Grant for the Encyclopedia of New York City and other volumes. “It was an advantage for him to have been young, because politics was very rough and tumble. And the longer you’re in it — certainly in those days, and I don’t think that’s changed — the more ammunition you give to potential enemies.”

What You Need To Know

Zohran Mamdan, 34, will become the city’s second-youngest mayor when he’s sworn into office on Jan. 1

Mayor Hugh J. Grant was

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