Joseph Mruk

Mruk was of Polish heritage, and was born in Buffalo, New York, on November 6, 1903. He attended Public School 44 and Saint John Kanty School, and graduated from South Park High School in 1920.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}} Mruk then began a career in the jewelry business by working at several stores in the Buffalo area.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}} In 1926, he opened his own store, which he continued to operate until the 1970s.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}}

A Republican, Mruk ran unsuccessfully for member of the Erie County Board of Supervisors in 1933, and a seat on the Buffalo Common Council in 1935.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}} He won a Common Council seat on his second attempt, and served as a district representative from 1937 to 1941.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}} He was elected as an at-large member in 1941, and served until resigning in 1942.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}}

In 1942, Mruk was elected to the U.S. House as a Republican, and served one term (1943-1945) as the representative of New York's 41st District.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}} In Congress, Mruk questioned the Soviet Union's intentions for post-World War II Poland; as the Soviets were still part of the Allied effort against Nazi Germany, Mruk's concerns prompted assurances from President Franklin D. Roosevelt that Poland would not lose its sovereignty.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}} Mruk also opposed creation of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, which Buffalo residents believed would hurt their city.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}} As a result, he became unpopular with the Republican leadership, who endorsed his 1944 primary opponent, Edward J. Elsaesser{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}}

After leaving Congress, Mruk returned to active management of his jewelry store.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}} In 1945, he was an unsuccessful candidate for mayor.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}} In 1947, he again won election to the Buffalo Common Council, and he served until 1950, when he became mayor.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}}

Mruk won the 1949 mayoral election against the Democratic nominee, Chief City Judge Joseph Hillery and two other candidates.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}}{{sfn|Through The Mayors' Eyes|pages=404}} His campaign was buoyed by Polish-Americans who usually voted for Democrats, but were unhappy that the Soviet Union had in fact made Poland part of the Eastern Bloc following World War II.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}} Mruk served from January 1, 1950, to December 31, 1953, and his time in office was highlighted by his concentration on rebuilding the city's infrastructure, including streets, bridges and viaducts.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}} He also worked to improve parks and recreation areas, instituted a lighted school house program to foster community involvement in the city's education system, and hired the city's first school crossing guards.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}} Relying on his business experience to master the details of Buffalo's budgets and spending, Mruk took pride in effecting most of his programs without having to increase local taxes.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}}

In 1954, Mruk was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. House.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}} In the 1950s and 1960s, Mruk served as a member of the state Commission on Pensions.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}} In 1961, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for mayor.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}} He closed his jewelry store in the mid 1970s, and in 1980 he moved to Florida, where he lived in retirement with his sister Clara and her husband.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}}{{sfn|Through The Mayors' Eyes|pages=361}}

Mruk returned to Buffalo in 1988, and spent the last years of his life residing in a Lancaster nursing home.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}}{{sfn|Through The Mayors' Eyes|pages=361}} He died in Lancaster on January 21, 1995, and was buried at Saint Stanislaus Roman Catholic Cemetery in Cheektowaga.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}}{{sfn|Through The Mayors' Eyes|pages=361}}

Mruk was a lifelong bachelor.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}} During his time as mayor, his sister acted as first lady during public ceremonies and other events.{{sfn|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Rizzo|first=Michael|title=Through The Mayors' Eyes|year=2005|publisher=Lulu|isbn=978-1-4116-3757-3 |ref={{sfnRef|Through The Mayors' Eyes}}}}

• {{cite news |last=Tarapacki |first=Thomas |date=July 13, 2017 |title=Tom Talk: Mruk was Buffalo's first Polish American mayor |url=http://ampoleagle.com/mruk-was-buffalos-first-polish-american-mayor-p11104-226.htm |work=Am-Pol Eagle |location=Cheektowaga, NY |ref={{sfnRef|"Mruk was Buffalo’s first Polish American mayor"}}}}

• {{cite web|url=http://www.buffalonian.com/history/industry/mayors/Mruk.htm|title=Joseph Mruk|date=2009-05-27|work= Through The Mayor's Eyes, The Only Complete History of the Mayor's of Buffalo, New York, Compiled by Michael Rizzo|publisher=The Buffalonian is produced by The Peoples History Union}}

{{CongBio|M001058}}

• {{Find a Grave|17394854}}

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Category:1903 births

Category:1995 deaths

Category:Mayors of Buffalo, New York

Category:American politicians of Polish descent

Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)

Category:Buffalo Common Council members

Category:20th-century mayors of places in New York (state)

Category:20th-century New York (state) politicians

Category:20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives