John Boyd Thacher II

Who was John Boyd Thacher II?

John Boyd Thacher II was the Mayor of Albany, New York from 1926 to 1941. He was the nephew of Albany mayor John Boyd Thacher and grandson of another Albany mayor, George H. Thacher.

John Boyd Thacher II was born in Leadville, Colorado to the younger George H. Thacher and Emma Louise Bennett, who spent the early 1880s on business in Colorado. The Thachers returned to Albany while John was a toddler and George Thacher re-established ties with his father's Albany business. John Thacher attended The Albany Academy and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University in 1904. He graduated with a Doctor of Laws from Union College in 1906 and was admitted to the New York state bar association. He practiced law in Schoharie County for a year before returning to practice in Albany. He married Lulu Abel Cameron of Middle Bridge on June 17, 1918.

World War I interrupted Thacher's law practice when he saw action in the Air corps and Ambulance corps, with a considerable amount of his time spent in France. Thacher then ventured into Albany government, becoming a member of the Common Council of Albany as well as city treasurer.