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
Lawrie Willett Lawrie Willett Lawrence John "Lawrie" Willett (born 1938) is a former senior Australian public servant and university Chancellor. Willett was born in Brisbane in 1938. He joined the Commonwealth Public Service, in the Department of Customs and Excise, in 1957, after completing his secondary schooling at Brisbane State High School. Willett's early public service positions were in Queensland, before he transferred to Canberra in 1963. Willett worked as a senior Customs representative in Tokyo between 1971 and 1974. Willett was Director-General of the Department of Health between 1983 and 1984. He was the first person with a non-medical background to