The Commissioner of Public Markets, Weights, and Measures of the City of New York was a cabinet-level post appointed by the mayor of New York City during World War I, when foodstuffs were in short supply and people began hoarding. The goal was to "set fair prices for meat and fish." The commissioner had jurisdiction over all public markets, market places, and all auctioneers. The office started after World War I and in 1968, the Department of Markets (as it was by then known) was merged with the Department of Licenses by (Markets) Commissioner Gerard M. Weisberg to become the Department of Consumer Affairs.
Commissioners Henry Moskowitz, c. 1917.Middletown Times-Press; Monday, December 10, 1917 Jonathan C. Day, c. 1918.Bridgeport Telegram, November 27, 1918 fired by mayor John F. Hylan William P. Mulry, 1919 as Acting Commissioner under mayor John F. Hylan. Edwin Joseph O'Malley, c. 1919-1927 for 7 years under mayor John F. Hylan and survived a graft investigation. Thomas F. Dwyer, c. 1930 to 1932. He concluded that direct rail delivery of food to the Bronx Terminal Market could have saved consumers millions of dollars Jere F. Ryan, 1932 to 1933 J. Bonynge, c. 1934 Tannenbaum v. Department of Public Markets, May 16, 1934 William Fellowes Morgan, Jr., c. 1935 to 1939 Daniel P. Wooley, c. 1943–1944.Supreme Court, Special Term, New York County, May 5, 1943 Eugene G. Schulz, c. 1949.Court decision, January 6, 1949 Albert S. Pacetta, c. 1965.Supreme Court, Special Term, New York County, October 1, 1965 Samuel J. Kearing, Jr., 1966. Gerard Maxwell Weisberg, 1966 to 1968.
Deputy commissioners William P. Mulry, 1919 Edwin Joseph O'Malley, 1919 Samuel Buchler, November 1919 Mrs. John Marshall Gallagher, c. 1922 Mrs. Louis R. Welzmiller, c. 1922 John Joseph Delaney, 1924 to 1931 DELANEY, John Joseph - Biographical Information Michael Fiaschetti, 1931 to 1937 Alex Pisciotta, 1937
References
Further reading Columbia Law Review, volume 34, number 7; November 1934, pp. 1369–1370. "The Commissioner of Public Markets, Weights, and Measures of the City of New York refused to issue a license to the petitioner to vend ice on the ground ..."