Charles Godfrey Gunther

Charles Godfrey Gunther was mayor of New York City from 1864 until 1866.

Early life

Gunther was born in New York on April 7, 1822, into a family of recent immigrants from Germany. His father, Christian G. Gunther, was a wealthy fur merchant, and Gunther would eventually join the family business.
Gunther was also a volunteer firefighter for many years.

Gunther was active in Tammany Hall politics since his teenage years.
In 1861 he ran for mayor as a Democrat, but lost to Republican George Opdyke in an election fraught with Civil War complications. In 1863 Gunther ran again and was elected, serving his two-year term from 1864 until 1866.

After leaving politics, Gunther became a railroad executive, working in that capacity until his death in New York on January 22, 1885.
He was buried in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery.