11. Edward Robert Wagner (1916-1917)
Served 1 Year
Edward Wagner was born on November 7, 1878, and he is the son of John and Hesse (Dorm) Wagner. He married Lottie Ballys Layton on November 8, 1900. He was employed as a Salesman for Andrew Heberer and lived above his store on Broadway before becoming an ordained minister and reverend.
Edward was a veteran of the Spanish American War from May 14, 1901, through May 13, 1904. He was a Private in Troop L, 11th Calvary.
Edward was never elected as an Assistant Chief. At the election of officers at the annual meeting in December of 1912, there was a lot of controversy when Edward Schluter edged out Edward Wagner as Chief, by a single vote. The election was declared illegal by the Board of Fire Commissioners, and they ordered another election. Edward Wagner would win the new contest when one member changed his mind and voted for Wagner. Edward Wagner was elected as the 11th Chief of the Department in December of 1916 and again in 1917. His Assistant Chiefs were Anthony Manzolillo and Edward Kastur.
On February 2, 1917, Chief Wagner drafted a letter to the Community that attempted to install confidence in the Department. He expressed the need for a motorized apparatus and to treat the decision in the vote, not as an economic business proposition or to buy the cheapest, but for the safety of our residents. He fought long and hard to raise funds to supplement the nearly $2,000 raised at the time. The Department needed about $7,000 from the motor truck fund and the last $5,000 would be needed to be raised by taxation. He reminded everyone that insurance rates are made in accordance with firefighting operations. He provided many answers to the many questions that were raised at a packed meeting of the local taxpayers, including the need for a high-priced apparatus, that the cheapest apparatus is not adequate for fire-fighting purposes, the need for more than one apparatus, and, what the taxation per hundred on an investment would be to motorize our department. His dream wouldn’t be realized until 1918.
Early in the morning of March 4, 1917, over one hundred boys at John’s Home were led down a fire escape to safety by five religious nuns. The fire started in the washroom and spread to the dormitory where about seventy of the boys were sleeping. Sister Mary Braga found herself cut off from the exit down the fire escape and jumped from the second-floor window. It was reported that John Puvogel found one of the boys sleeping under his bed and carried him out. Firemen Puvogel was removed from the residence for smoke inhalation immediately after he searched for additional boys. About twenty of the boys were sent to Brooklyn while the others slept in the chapel. Fire damage was confined to the second floor and estimated at $10,000. About three hundred pounds of potatoes were also ruined from the water that made its way to the basement storage area.
At the Fire Department meeting on March 12, 1917, Chief Edward Wagner surprised the members by handing in his resignation as chief, due to his intention to move away to Huntington. The resignation was accepted and turned over to the Board of Fire Commissioners for final acceptance. He was honored with a gold watch from the department and a silver cup from the members of Volunteer Hose Company 4. First Assistant Chief Anthony Manzolillo was recommended to the Board of Commissioners for its approval to succeed Mr. Wagner as chief for the unexpired term by the department.
Chief Wagner worked as a clerk at Heberer’s Store before he moved to Spiro’s store for several years before accepting a position as manager of the O. S. Sammis Company store in Huntington. Chief Wagner sold his residence and property on East Marie Street to Joseph Engel as he relocated to Huntington permanently. Mr. and Mrs. Wagner were very popular in this village, especially in church-circles.
On July 31, 1928, Reverand Edward Wagner, pastor of the Congregation Church at Centereach, suddenly passed away. As a young man, he was consecrated, a local preacher in the Methodist Church and had recently been ordained as a minister in the Congregational Church, thereby realizing the great ambition of his life.
Chief Wagner is interred at the New Village Congregational Church Cemetery in Lake Grove, New York.
