The Village Independent Democrats (VID) is a Greenwich Village–based reform Democratic club founded in 1956 that had a profound impact on New York’s political history, and has shaped the political landscape of Greenwich Village and Lower Manhattan since the mid-20th century. The club helped end Tammany Hall control of Democratic politics in Manhattan, and launch the careers of notable NYC politicians including Ed Koch.

This is the third batch of the club’s archives in our collection, detailing their activities in the 1980s. It includes their work on a range of local and national issues from rezonings in the neighborhood and tenant protection efforts to support for the Nuclear Freeze Campaign. It also includes the club’s 1982 split following the membership vote to support Mario Cuomo over longtime VID member and former local district leader and City Councilmember Ed Koch in the gubernatorial election. Those who supported Koch split off and founded the Village Reform Democratic Club (VRDC).

View the VID 1955-1969 Archives HERE and the VID 1970-1979 Archives HERE.

We maintain a Neighborhood/Preservation History Archive with more than a dozen collections, including those of the Association of Village Homeowners and the West Village Committee, as well as our Local Media Collection, among others.