Elected in 1961, the Italian-born Gangemi was forced to resign from office less than two years later when it was discovered that he had never become a United States citizen.

[3] He filed petitions to run for mayor again in 1965, but was refused by the City Clerk and New Jersey Superior Court[4] before being allowed on the ballot (see Gangemi v. Rosengard 207 A.2d 665 (N.J.

[5] While history focuses on Gangemi's untimely resignation, he was a visionary who reimagined the Jersey City waterfront and downtown as locales of tremendous economic growth.

[citation needed] Gangemi was married to Carrie Gangemi (née Romano) and had three children, Thomas Jr., Anthony, and Marie.

The eldest, Thomas Jr. also ran for mayor of Jersey City in 1973, but lost to incumbent Paul T.