[3] After the war, Christenberry served as the American vice consul in Vladivostok and Santo Domingo and was a sports reporter for The Washington Herald.
[2] In 1935 he became the vice president and general manager of Hotel Astor in New York City.
[5] During World War II he served as head of the Greater New York Civilian Defense Volunteer Office's War Identification Bureau, was a hotel industry adviser to the Office of Price Administration, and led Manhattan's air raid warden organization.
[2][4][7] In 1951, Governor Thomas E. Dewey appointed Christenberry chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission.
[7] Christenberry overturned Carmen Basilio's May 29, 1952, victory over Charles Pierce Davey after finding discrepancies on the referee's scorecard.
[8][9] On June 27, 1957, the Republican leaders of New York's five boroughs announced that after a two-month search they had selected Christenberry to be the party's nominee for Mayor.
[14][15] He also received the endorsement of former Governor Dewey and was praised by Eleanor Roosevelt for his energy and knowledge of the issues.