David Hoagland Slayback I (August 27, 1861 – January 26, 1942) was the Mayor of Verona, New Jersey from 1914 to 1942, he served for 24 years. He was president of the Eastern Skating Association.
Biography He was born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, on August 27, 1861, to William Slayback.
With his brother John H. Slayback he started an ice trade, later expanding into coal delivery.
In March 1893 he married Henrietta Grosch, the daughter of William Grosch. William Grosch was one of the first manufactures of bronze in the United States. The couple had children, including at least three daughters: Gertrude, Henrietta, and Linda. Gertrude was a schoolteacher.Former Raritan School Teacher to Wed. The Courier-News (Bridgewater, New Jersey) March 11, 1918, p. 3, accessed December 19, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15876375/
He died on January 27, 1942, in Montclair, New Jersey.
Ice skating Slayback was active in early United States ice skating organizations. In 1902, Slayback was manager of champion ice skater, Peter Sinnerud.Sinnirud to be a Professional, New-York Tribune (New York, New York) March 13, 1902, page 4, accessed December 19, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15874999/sinnirud_to_be_a_professional_newyork/ In 1907, Slayback was president of the National Skating Association. In that year, Slayback's group contended with the Amateur Athletic Union for control over the organization of skating. In March, the National Association dissolved and Slayback became president of the new, Eastern Skating Association under the umbrella of the International Skating Union of America.Nat'l Skating Association Disbands, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) March 9, 1907, page 3, accessed December 19, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15876215/Steel Blade Artists Will Race This Week, Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) 24 Jan 1909, page 14, accessed December 19, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15875755/ The dispute was resolved in favor of the Skating Association in December.AAU Drops Ice Skating: New Body Takes Charge, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) 29, Dec 1907, p. 43, accessed December 19, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15875680/
In early 1909, Slayback and other leaders in the Eastern Amateur Skating Association resigned in protest for the treatment of Edmund Lamy, whose victories at the International Speed Skating Championships was disqualified when he registered only with the Western Association but not the Eastern Association. The International Skating Union later supported Lamy, vindicating Slayback's position.Another War Likely Among the Skaters, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) December 19, 1909, page 53, accessed December 19, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15875920/ In early 1910, the body itself dissolved a new Eastern Skating Association was formed with Slayback as president.New Eastern Skating Body, The Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, New Jersey) January 26, 1910, page 6, accessed December 19, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15875962/
In 1916, Slayback was a member of the board of directors under chairman Louis Rubenstein and President Cornelius Fellowes when a similar dispute to the 1907 dispute with the AAU developed. In 1916, there was a question over whether the International Skating Union of America should have jurisdiction over the American Hockey League. Eventually, control of hockey was turned over to the Amateur Hockey League and the American National Hockey Association led by Roy Schooley.Pittsburgher President of New Hockey Circuit, Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) March 5, 1916, page 38, accessed December 19, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15876330/
Politics Slayback later entered politics. He headed the Verona Borough Council. In 1937 he defeated Stephen Bergdahl in the primary to run for Mayor of Verona, New Jersey.
On May 14, 1938, a Teaneck police officer was killed in a traffic accident, and on May 22, 1938, Slayback introduced a 20-mile-per-hour speed limit, enforced by ten policemen and fifteen deputies, so that "people [would] obey the law, and remember Verona." He even deployed a robot traffic patrolman "whose arms wave electrically and whose eyes doggedly follow any onlooker" to slow down speeders.
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