History of New York City (prehistory–1664) as a city and to incidentally allow New York to celebrate its 350th anniversary just 11 years after its 300th. The English renamed the colony New York, after the king's brother James, Duke of York and on June 12, 1665, appointed Thomas Willett the first of the mayors of New York. The city grew northward, remaining the largest and most important city in the colony of New York. History of New York City (prehistory–1664) The history of New York City has been influenced by the prehistoric geological formation during the last glacial period of the territory that is today New
Tom Willett Tom Willett Tom Willett (born 1950) is an American musician, author and entertainment industry executive. He toured and recorded extensively as a bass player during the 1960s and 1970s, served as booking agent and manager for numerous artists in the 1980s, and worked as an artist and repertoire and marketing executive in the 1990s. In the 2000s he co-founded a fully accredited music school for college-aged musicians and entrepreneurs. Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, Willett moved with his family to the Washington, DC suburbs in the mid-1960s. While attending Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax County, VA, he played bass with