Changes
Henry Menge was becoming an integral part of Hicksville, appearing at public events, and also being involved in behind-the-scenes phenomena. He was spending less time with his business. Around 1894, he made known his desire to be appointed to fill the then-vacant position of local Postmaster. When the local politicos named someone else to the job, much of the town was outraged. Within a few years, Menge and a number of other one-time Democrats had joined the local Republican Association, and several of them had been elected officers of it.
In 1899, Menge was chosen to be one of Hicksville's Republican delegates to the Town convention. In 1903 (when he was 55), the Long-Islander referred to him as part of the "young blood" in the local Republican Party. The next year, he was a delegate to the State Republican convention.
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During these years, Brooklyn and western Queens were amalgamated into New York City. Although the City did a great deal of planning before amalgamating, it does not appear that Long Island had given much forethought to dealing with the three Townships that were to be left behind.
At first, all options seemed to be open, including annexing them to Suffolk County.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, January 18, 1898
It's interesting to see that Henry Menge was given an important role in the discussions that ultimately led to the formation of Nassau County. I guess that one should not be surprised - people always had confidence in him.
Once it was determined that the former Queens Townships would not join Suffolk, the choice of a seat for the Nassau County became a matter of great interest. Hempstead, Mineola, and Hicksville all vied for the honor, and Henry Menge was asked to be one of the pro-Hicksville participants in the process. It appears that Hicksville ultimately gave its support to Mineola, accepting the argument that it couldn't garner enough support for its own cause, and that its interests lay closer to those of Mineola than to those of Hempstead.
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