10 Historical Figures You Might Find At A Gatsby Party
9. Jimmy Walker - The Mayor Of New York City 1926 To 1932
During the 1920s, the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcohol was criminalised in the United States thanks to Prohibition. Gatsby took advantage of this and made his fortune through bootlegging and befriending many gangsters along the way. Many of these gangsters, as well as other rogue business men are sure to have attended one of Gatsbys many parties.
So where does the Mayor of New York City fit into this? Jimmy Walker was a member of the Democratic Party who was elected Mayor in 1926. The reputation of decadent parties such as Gatsby's and the unsavoury characters they attracted would have likely been a concern for most Mayors.
However, Walker wasnt most mayors and in 1936 he was forced to resign from office following a scandal in which it was revealed that he had been accepting large amounts of money from businessmen in exchange for municipal contracts.
Given the reputation of Gatsbys parties and the characters who gathered there, it is likely that Mayor Walker would have dropped by to network and maybe pick up a few new scandalous business transactions.