“President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was born in 1882, was considered a hero in Jersey City, although I don’t think that my parents saw him that way. He was born in Dutchess County, NY to a prominent Dutch family and, much later, when I lived in Pawling, New York, I got to know his son, Franklin Roosevelt, Jr. What I remember most vividly, was walking up and down Nelson Avenue on April 12, 1945, announcing that the President had died in Warm Springs, Georgia. I was not yet eleven years old when I followed the details of the transfer of power to Harry S. Truman, who succeeded him to the presidency. Over a year had passed since American troops had landed in Italy and started reclaiming Europe. Hitler committed suicide and Germany surrendered to the Allies a few days later on May 7, 1945, freeing me from the unfounded suspicion of being a Nazi and part of the evil empire in the eyes of my schoolmates.” HeroCaptain Hank BrackerFranklin Delano RooseveltFdrNyJersey City HistoryDutchess County Author:Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One"
“My mother worked at the Five Corners Bakery, on the southwest corner of Journal Square. The Five Corners Bakery is now long gone. However, celebrities including Frank Sinatra sometimes came in to buy pastries for their cast and crew. At the end of the day, she sometimes brought home the leftover cakes or traded them for theater tickets, which made my brother and me happy. The original Five Corners Bakery at 591 Summit Avenue has changed hands a few times throughout the years, and has now been renamed the Red Ribbon Bakeshop. As such, I understand it enjoys the same excellent reputation the Five Corners Bakery did so many years ago.” MmaCaptain Hank BrackerSea StoriesJersey City HistoryJournal Square Author:Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One"
“Frank Hague, the Mayor of Jersey City between May 15, 1917 and June 17, 1947, was known as one of the most corrupt party bosses in the country, if not the most corrupt, at a time when there were many. In many ways, he was thought of in a similar fashion as Robin Hood, taking from the rich and giving to the poor, as well as to himself. His spacious office had a specially made cherry-topped, wooden desk with a lap-height drawer that was pushed towards contributors, who in turn placed large amounts of cash into it, to gain favors from the “Boss of the Organization.” This desk can still be seen at City Hall.” New JerseyCaptain Hank BrackerJersey City HistoryParty Boss Author:Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One"