John F. Hayes (Borough President of Brooklyn)

John F. Hayes
Borough President of Brooklyn
In office
May 7, 1961 – December 31, 1961
Preceded byJohn Cashmore
Succeeded byAbe Stark
Personal details
Born1915 (1915)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedJanuary 3, 2001(2001-01-03) (aged 85)
New York, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Margaret Sullivan
(m. 1948)
EducationFordham University (AB, LLB)

John Francis Hayes (1915 – January 3, 2001) was an American politician who served as the Borough President of Brooklyn in 1961.[1] Hayes served a 35-year career as assistant and deputy to a number of Brooklyn borough presidents before he was elected to the New York State Supreme Court in 1977. He retired in 1984. In 1957, during his tenure as executive assistant to John Cashmore, Hayes took a phone call from Walter O'Malley, who announced he was taking the Brooklyn Dodgers to the West Coast. Prominent figures of the time stated, “the reality was John Hayes was the borough president in all but the title. He was the guy who would take those calls."[2]

References

  1. ^ Pace, Eric (January 6, 2001). "John F. Hayes, 85, A Borough President Of Brooklyn in 1961". The New York Times. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
  2. ^ "LONGTIME BP AIDE JOHN HAYES IS DEAD". The Daily News. January 5, 2001. Retrieved April 21, 2025.