Isaac L. Varian


Isaac Leggett Varian was a New York state legislator and the 64th Mayor of New York City.

Political career

Varian was a prominent Democrat and led Tammany Hall from 1835 until 1842. He was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1831, 1832 1833; 64th Mayor of New York City from 1839 to 1841; and a member of the New York State Senate from 1842 to 1845, sitting in the 65th, 66th, 67th and 68th New York State Legislatures.
As Tammany Hall leader, Varian presided over a critical period in Democratic history, which saw the defection, and return of the Locofoco faction, which was in existence from 1835 until 1840, and was the decisive factor in the 1837 mayoral election won by Whigs against the divided Democrats.
Varian first ran for mayor in 1838, losing to Whig Aaron Clark by only 519 votes in an election tainted with allegations of massive Whig fraud and intimidation. In 1839, Varian beat Clark by 1,067 votes despite blatant electoral misconduct. During Varian's first term, the legislature passed a bill that mandated voter registration and made it a lot harder to commit electoral fraud.

Personal

In 1811 Varian married Catharine Hopper Dusenbury. They had nine children, seven of whom survived infancy:
  • Andrew Hopper
  • Tamar Letitia
  • Isaac
  • Matilda Campbell
  • Mary Elizabeth
  • Isaac
  • Catharine Emeline
  • Jacob Harsen
  • Hannah
In 1845 Varian quit politics and retired to Peekskill, where he died in 1864. He is buried in the New York City Marble Cemetery.

The Valentine-Varian House

The Valentine-Varian House is a historic farmhouse that still stands on what used to be the Varian dairy farm in the Bronx along the route from New York City to Boston. The Varian family occupied the house from 1791 until 1905. At present, the building houses the Museum of Bronx History. A public park and an elementary school in the area are named after Varian.