Thomas Lynch Raymond, Jr. was born in East Orange, New Jersey on April 26, 1875. His father, Thomas Lynch Raymond was the President of Produce National Bank in New York. His mother, Eugenia was the daughter of sculptor Robert Eberhard Launitz. He began his education in East Orange Public Schools and finished his education at New York University where he earned his law degree.

He passed the New Jersey bar exam in November 1896. He then commenced the practice of law. In 1903, Raymond married Elizabeth Gummere, daughter of New Jersey Chief Justice William S. Gummere. In 1904, Raymond was appointed Judge of the First District Court of New Jersey. In 1908, he became First Assistant Prosecutor of Essex County. In this year, he ran for the State Senate and he lost. Of the twenty Essex County municipalities the only town he won was Newark.

He began his term as the 25th Mayor of Newark on January 1, 1915 his term ending on January 1, 1917. During his first term, the Newark Meadows were filled in to start construction of Port Newark. In 1920, the year the Christmas card featured in this post was sent, he ran in the Gubernatorial primary and lost. He began his term as the 29th Mayor of Newark in 1925 and was mayor when he passed away on October 4, 1928 at age 53. His death came three days after Newark Metropolitan Airport opened on October 1, 1928. Port Newark and Newark Airport are the enduring legacy of this visionary mayor.

The Christmas greeting, that Raymond sent out in 1920 was not a card, but rather was an etching of the Morris Canal printed on a piece of folded bond paper with a simple salutation. Most would not recognize this scene today. The view is looking east toward Broad Street and the gabled building in the center of the print is the  Center Market which was situated  atop of the canal. Today, if one stood mid-block on Raymond Blvd. between Halsey and Broad and looked east you would be at the same vantage point.