The Governor and the Senate President

The Great Gatsby was published. Trumpet player and singer Louie Armstrong recorded for the first time. Prohibition enhanced the fortunes of organized crime. Al Capone took over the Chicago bootlegging racket. John T. Scopes was arrested for teaching evolution in Tennessee schools. Hitler published Mein Kampf and formed the SS. The 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes spread the design style of Art Deco.

Frank Hague, the Boss and Mayor of Jersey City brought twelve train loads of Democrats from Hudson and Passaic County to celebrate Governor’s Day with former Jersey City Commissioner and now governor candidate A. Harry Moore. It poured buckets, but 20,000 faithful under a sea of umbrellas and tents waited to hear the speeches at the Sea Girt Camp. Hague made sure Harry won. From there, Hague placed him in the US Senate and then another two terms as governor after that. The domination of the Democrat party in the state was largely due to Hague’ and other big city machines.

Sea Girt was largely Republican, but they had their own man in Trenton.

Fran Durand Sr. had been the lawyer for the borough of Sea Girt at its founding. He had cleaned up the mess the Bankruptcy of Henry Yard created for and both Sea Girt and Spring Lake. He lost his wife to TB in 1909. In 1923 Frank fell ill and when he died he was waked at 212 Stockton. He had purchased Charles Noble’s grand house a few years earlier.

Frank Durand, Sea Girt Mayor and State Senator

Frank’s son Frank Jr. became the first Municipal Clerk in Sea Girt. He also was an attorney and built a Sea Girter on Chicago Blvd shortly after his father bought on Crescent. His brother Walter built a similar house on Beacon.

Over time Frank became a town councilman, and after leading the syndicate that bought the empty lots in town in 1924, in November of 1925 he was elected mayor of Sea Girt, where he served 1926-1931. Tapped as a climber in the Republican party he was then a State Assemblyman, and then State Senator. He rose to State Senate President, where he acted as Governor on two occasions, including at the opening of the Lincoln Tunnel. He was the auditor for the State of NJ, a position he was reinstated for three 5 year terms. The men who founded the resort in the 1870s had political connections in Trenton which was beneficial at the outset of Spring Lake and Sea Girt. Frank was equally influential in ensuring that Sea Girt was treated well from the state for many years.

Frank Jr. died at 83 in his second Sea Girt home at 220 The Terrace in 1978.