Arthur E. Imperatore Sr., a bluff entrepreneur who parlayed a trucking fortune into a dubious ferryboat operation that grew to be a critical link in New York City’s transit network, died on Wednesday in Manhattan. His death, at Mount Sinai Hospital, was confirmed by his stepson, Armand Pohan, who said Mr. Imperatore had suffered from progressive kidney failure. Mr. Imperatore steered the ferry service, New York Waterway, through legal and financial straits and disputes with government officials. Mr. Imperatore, whose formal education ended at high school, did not set out to be a ferry tycoon. He started the service as a “loss leader” to promote the two miles of industrial waterfront property he had acquired on the New Jersey side of the Hudson, Mr. Pohan said.

Source: New York Times November 21, 2020 20:26 UTC