Austin J. Tobin

Austin J. Tobin
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Austin Joseph Tobin (May 25, 1903 - February 8, 1978), born in Brooklyn, served as the executive director of the Port of New York Authority, the precursor to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, from 1942 until 1972. Tobin was educated at College of the Holy Cross and Fordham Law School.

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Biography

Austin Tobin joined the Port Authority in 1927 where he served the first 15 years of his career in the law department. He started out as a law clerk, and was promoted to assistant general council in 1935.^[1] In 1942, he was appointed as executive director of the Port Authority.^[1] During his thirty years in the post, he oversaw the development of the World Trade Center, as well as the Lincoln Tunnel, Newark Liberty International Airport, the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Tobin also sought control of LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International Airport.

In 1966, Tobin received The Hundred Year Association of New York's Gold Medal Award "in recognition of outstanding contributions to the City of New York."

After Tobin died in 1978, the Port Authority named the outdoor plaza at the World Trade Center, in his honor, as the Austin J. Tobin Plaza.

^ ^a ^b Glanz, James and Eric Lipton (2003). City in the Sky. Times Books, p. 42.
^ "Austin J. Tobin, Executive Director Of Port Authority for 30 Years, Dies. A Target of Criticism Worked Long Hours Took Top Position in 1942.", New York Times (February 9, 1978, Thursday). Retrieved on 2008-06-17. "Austin J. Tobin, the autocratic Brooklyn-born lawyer who built the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey into the most powerful agency of its kind in the world, died of cancer yesterday at his Manhattan apartment. He was 74 years old."