Vincent R. Impellitteri
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Vincent Richard Impellitteri (February 4, 1900 – January 29, 1987) was appointed Acting Mayor of New York City upon the resignation of then Mayor William O'Dwyer, on September 1, 1950. He served from 1950 to 1953.
Shortly after Impellitteri's appointment, the Brooklyn District Attorney arrested bookie Harry Gross and launched a corruption scandal that ultimately caused nearly 500 Police Officers of all ranks to resign, retire, or be fired. This famous scandal caused Impellitteri to vigorously support the Brooklyn District Attorney, Miles McDonald, and fire everyone who had been associated with former Mayor William O'Dwyer.
Impellitteri moved with his family to the United States from Sicily as an infant in 1901. According to Robert Caro (in his Robert Moses biography The Power Broker), Impellitteri was happy to let Robert Moses run the city from behind the scenes.
Trivia: Impellitteri believed his name to be too difficult to spell by most people. When running for mayor he tried to persuade a judge to allow voters to simply write "Impy" on their ballots. The judge refused the request. Template:NewYork-politician-stub