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Robert Moses was a man who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Biography. In his book, The Power Broker (1974), he starts off by talking about Moses’ time at Yale University. He says that Moses wanted to convince a sponsor to donate money to the school’s general fund using less-than ethical techniques. His team captain told him not to; however, Moses didn’t listen and ended up quitting the team. Forty-five years later, Robert F Wagner is being sworn in as mayor of New York City and gives out positions on his staff. When it comes time for Moses’ appointments, he expects three but only gets two because of activist work against his influence and power. Angry with this outcome, he confronts Mayor Wagner privately and threatens that if he doesn’t get the third appointment, then he will resign from all positions held with Mayor Wagner’s administration.

In the beginning of his career, Robert Moses was a reformer who wanted to improve New York City. However, he made political enemies and was pushed out of his job at the age 30. He realized that making dreams into reality required power and spent the rest of his life amassing it.

Moses was born in 1888. His mother, Bella, inspired him to be a great leader and helped shape his life. She was dedicated to helping others and believed that she knew what they needed better than they did.

Moses attended Yale University and then went on to work in government. He was initially thwarted by corrupt officials who did not want him to succeed in his reforms, but he worked for the future governor of New York, Al Smith. Later Moses returned to government service with a better understanding of how power works. Moses ran for governor of New York in 1934 but lost the election. He accepted a job with the city government and quickly gained a reputation as someone who could handle huge projects and get them done fast during the Great Depression when these projects were considered vital for recovery, giving him immense influence over people’s lives.

Moses uses his influence to exert power in the government. He never ran for any positions, but he still has a hold on things. For example, the people who build bridges are only funded by bonds that need to be paid back. Moses created a system where they could refinance those bonds and keep them going forever so that he would always have control of the project. Through many different governors and mayors, Moses was able to maintain control for a very long time while using this method.

Moses establishes the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, which becomes his main base of power. He has a police force and staff that support him, as well as taxation to support himself. As a result, Moses operates almost like a shadow government with no accountability for his actions. Meanwhile, he convinces his mother to change her will so that he gets everything in it instead of his brother Paul.

Moses remakes New York City in radical ways. He favors automobiles over public transportation, building many roads and highways. Activists try to limit his power, decrying the influence he has despite never winning an election.

Moses’ influence begins to wane in the 1960s. Several public defeats tarnish his reputation, and he is unpopular with the general public. His involvement with the World’s Fair in 1964 also fails miserably because it didn’t generate economic growth as he predicted. Moses’ management of finances at that event is criticized, and his ability to run things effectively has been called into question by then-Mayor John Lindsay and Governor Nelson Rockefeller. With Moses weakened, Mayor John Lindsay and Governor Nelson Rockefeller redirect toll money from TBTA (Transportation Bond Finance Authority) projects to other city agencies. TBTA was folded into MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority), but Moses never received a leadership role there as promised; this causes him more frustration than anything else.