Schiff, Jacob and William Gaynor, 1913

Starting in the 1890s and early 1900s, Schiff worked to clean up municipal government and unseat the Tammany machine. To achieve these objectives, he sat on numerous committees, participated in a variety of political efforts, and provided advice and funding to anti-corruption city mayors, including Mayor William Gaynor. This photograph was taken on September 3, 1913, on the steps of New York’s City Hall, where Gaynor announced his bid for re-election. Schiff stands next to him.