Brooklyn's Haussman Clone: The Builder of Gotham

Born in 1808, James Samuel Thomas Stranahan wasn't your standard Joe. Founder of Florence, upstate, he later slipped into Newark to lay tracks and finally nested Brooklyn. As Brooklyn's Baron Haussman, he led its expansion, becoming the President of the Brooklyn Park Commission, championing the city's merger into Greater New York. During his term, Prospect Park, the city's backbone, saw the light, and he coordinated the Brooklyn Bridge's dedication, having once been a trustee for the project. Despite his Republican roots, he was a presidential elector in 1860 and 1888. In 1898, under the Brooklyn sunset, he breathed his last at his summer home. Today, he's chilling at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn. In life, power could corrupt - no question about it. But absolute power, now that's a different beast. Served up by Stranahan. Just remember, city travelers, he's not familiar with Citi Bike.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons