New York City Comptroller Lazarus Joseph usually sided in the
New York City Board of Estimate with Mayor
Vincent R. Impellitteri during Impelliterri's term in office but supported Wagner for the Democratic nomination for mayor in the 1953 primary election, calling him a "sure winner". Wagner's nomination and
election as New York City mayor in 1953 caused a rift in the
Democratic Party and instigated a long-standing feud between
Eleanor Roosevelt and
Carmine DeSapio, Boss of
Tammany Hall. Roosevelt was a Wagner supporter and DeSapio supported Wagner reluctantly until 1961, when Wagner ran for a third term on an anti-Tammany platform, which eventually helped end DeSapio's leadership. During Wagner's mayoralty, he built public housing and schools, created the
City University of New York system, established the right of collective bargaining for city employees, and barred housing discrimination based on race, creed, or color. He was the first mayor to hire many people of color in city government. His administration also saw the development of
Lincoln Center and brought
Shakespeare to Central Park. In 1957, after the
Dodgers and
Giants left New York City, he appointed a commission to determine whether New York City could host another National League baseball team, eventually leading to the
Mets franchise being awarded to New York City. He did greet
Queen Elizabeth II later in 1957. He also rearranged his schedule to meet with the
Little Rock Nine and give them a tour of
New York City Hall. In
1956, Wagner ran on the Democratic and Liberal tickets for
U.S. Senator from New York, but lost to Republican nominee
Jacob Javits. in the
Oval Office, 1962 Like his father, Wagner was aligned with Tammany Hall for much of his career. But when he sought a third term in 1961, Wagner broke with DeSapio and won the Democratic primary anyway, beginning the decline of
machine politics in New York City. In February 1962, Wagner quit the
New York Athletic Club because it barred African Americans and Jews from membership. The New York Preservation Archive Project has called Wagner's contribution to preservation "complex". He saved
Carnegie Hall from demolition in 1960, but was also mayor when the original
Penn Station was demolished, beginning on October 28, 1963. In 1965, Wagner signed the law that created the
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. In 1965, Wagner decided not to run for a fourth term. In 1969, he ran for mayor again, but lost the Democratic primary. In 1973, he talked with the city's five Republican county chairmen about running for mayor as a Republican, but the negotiations collapsed. ==Ambassador==