The 1900 Ice Trust Scandal

The year Roosevelt becomes governor Tammany Hall’s Robert Van Wyck was mayor.  Van Wyck won by a landslide defeating Seth Lowe 2 to 1. 

The 9 mile long Van Wyck Expressway is named for Robert Van Wyck.  It was built by Robert Moses (1947-1963) and connects the Whitestone Expressway with Kennedy Airport.

Van Wyck was accused of bribery when “Ice King” Charles Morse tried to double the price of ice from 30 cents to 60 cents per 100 pounds.

Morse owned American Ice that was the only company allowed to sell ice in NYC.  An investigation discovered Van Wyck, whose salary was $15,000 a year, owned $680,000 in American Ice stock.  The NY Times characterized the Van Wyck administration as one mired in "black ooze and slime.”  

Unlike 1895 as a police commissioner, Governor Theodore Roosevelt initiated an investigation that determined Van Wyck had not been personally implicated in the Ice Trust Scandal.  

In 1895 TR  came into conflict with the legendary NYC detective Thomas Byrnes.  Byrnes served as head of the city’s Detective Department from 1880 until 1895 and popularized the terms “Rogues Gallery" and “3rd Degree.  He’s been credited with inventing America's modern detective bureau and came to epitomize the NYC Police Department.

While on the force Byrnes suspiciously amassed a $350,000 personal fortune on a NYC police salary. TR believed Byrnes wealth was due to the help of Wall Street money backed by men like Jay Gould.  On top of that Roosevelt didn’t like the egotistical Byrnes and was convinced his involvement with Wall Street was a conflict of interest. 

Roosevelt forced Byrnes to resign, but never gave any public reason for Brynes dismissal.