His age set him apart from his predecessors—as did his mission:
to get rid of the corruption that had infiltrated city politics
since Tammany rule in the 1800s. “While in office Mitchel cut
waste, improved accounting practices, and worked to
professionalize the city’s civil service by standardizing
salaries and work guidelines for municipal employees,” explains
Columbia University (Mitchel was part of the class of 1899.)
Tammany bosses were determined to beat him in 1917, and he was
defeated by Tammany-backed John Hylan. After losing the
election, he enlisted in the Air Service and prepped to fight in
World War I. On a training mission in Louisiana in 1918, he fell
from his plane and was killed. [Above: Mitchel throwing out the
first pitch at the Polo Grounds in 1916]