Charles Patrick Daly
Encyclopedia
Charles Patrick Daly was a member of the New York State Assembly
, Chief Justice of the New York Court of Common Pleas
, president of the American Geographical Society
, and an author of several books.
ancestors were the O'Dalys of County Galway
, Ireland. In 1814, two years before Daly's birth, his parents immigrated to the U.S. from Omagh
, County Tyrone
, Ireland
. Daly was born in New York, New York, USA. His father, Michael, had been a master carpenter in Ireland, but in New York City
, he worked as the manager of a hotel on Broadway
. His mother, Elizabeth, died when Daly was age three. Michael remarried.
Daly attended private school in his early years. Upon his father's death, Daly was unwilling to rely on a widowed stepmother, leading him to leave school and earn a living.
He worked first as a clerk in Savannah, Georgia
, before becoming a cabin boy on a trading ship. During his three years as a sailor, he was present at the 1830 capture of Algiers. When he returned to New York in 1832, he became a mechanical trade apprentice for a quill
manufacturer. He also joined The New York Literary Society where he learned how to debate. This led to him becoming a law student and he was admitted to practice law in 1839.
against considerable opposition.
The following year, Judge William Inglis' term on the New York Court of Common Pleas expired. On a recommendation of Governor William Marcy
, Governor William Bouck
appointed Daly to the Court, beginning his term May 1844. When the position changed from an appointed one to an elected one in 1847, Daly ran for election and won, eventually becoming Chief Justice. One of his most notable cases dealt with the Astor Place Riot
involving William Charles Macready
at the Astor Place Theatre
. He served on the court for six consecutive terms, retiring December 30, 1885 because of the constitutional age limit. Ten years later, the Court of Common Pleas was abolished, the judges becoming justices of the New York Supreme Court
.
For fifteen years, starting in 1860, he lectured on law at Columbia Law School
. In 1867, Daly was a member of the New York Constitutional Convention. After leaving the bench, he became a partner in the firm of Daly, Hoyt and Mason.
Called an “armchair explorer” by some, Daly was elected as an Ordinary Member to the American Geographical Society on February 16, 1855, to the Governing Board in 1858, and to its presidency in 1864, a position he held until his death in 1899. As a member, and then president of the AGS, Daly was influential in supporting Arctic expeditions. Daly, a bibliophile, had a personal collection of more than 12,000 volumes.
He donated 700 of his geographical books to the AGS on his 75th birthday and during his tenure as President, helped with the AGS’s library collection expansion.
Other memberships
He was an honorary member of the Royal Geographical Society
of London, England, the Berlin Geographical Society
, and Russia's Imperial Geographical Society
. In London in 1895, he was a speaker at the 6th International Geographical Congress
.
In his early career years, he was a member of the New York Literary Society, the Law Association, Democratic Republican Young Men of the City and County of New York (vice-president), and New York Workingmen's Democratic Republican Association (recording-secretary).
Later, Daly was a member of the New York Historical Society, the American Philosophical Society of Pennsylvania
, and the Century Association
, St. Patrick's Society
(president), and Committee for the Relief of Ireland (chairman).
; the park now contains the New York Botanical Garden
. Her mother, Katherine, was the eldest daughter of John Suydam, a Knickerbocker
.
Like Daly, Maria was a Democrat and a Unionist. They married September 27, 1856 in West Farms
, Westchester County, New York
. At age 37, Maria began writing a diary, published as Diary of a Union lady, 1861-1865. She was active in the Democratic Party, the Women's Central Association for the Relief for the Army
, and the New York Botanical Garden. She died at their summer home in North Haven, New York
(near Sag Harbor) on August 21, 1894.
Like his wife, Daly died in North Haven in 1899, rather than at their home in New York City at 84 Clifton Place. His funeral service was held at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral
.
The home in North Haven passed on to Maria's niece, Emma Hoyt. Daly's papers, military record, lectures and diaries were donated to the New York Public Library
by Emma. A portrait of Daly, painted by Daniel Huntington, hangs at the courtroom of what was the New York Court of Common Pleas.
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
, Chief Justice of the New York Court of Common Pleas
New York Court of Common Pleas
The New York Court of Common Pleas was a state court in New York. Established in New Netherland in 1686, the Court remained in existence in the Province of New York and, after the American Revolution, in the U.S...
, president of the American Geographical Society
American Geographical Society
The American Geographical Society is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the world...
, and an author of several books.
Early years
The DalyDaly (surname)
Daly is an Irish surname, derived from the Gaelic Ó Dálaigh,and may refer to:-Entertainment:*Andrew Daly , American actor, writer, and comedian*Augustin Daly , American theatrical manager and playwright...
ancestors were the O'Dalys of County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
, Ireland. In 1814, two years before Daly's birth, his parents immigrated to the U.S. from Omagh
Omagh
Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The town, which is the largest in the county, had a population of 19,910 at the 2001 Census. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and...
, County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Daly was born in New York, New York, USA. His father, Michael, had been a master carpenter in Ireland, but in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, he worked as the manager of a hotel on Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
. His mother, Elizabeth, died when Daly was age three. Michael remarried.
Daly attended private school in his early years. Upon his father's death, Daly was unwilling to rely on a widowed stepmother, leading him to leave school and earn a living.
He worked first as a clerk in Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, before becoming a cabin boy on a trading ship. During his three years as a sailor, he was present at the 1830 capture of Algiers. When he returned to New York in 1832, he became a mechanical trade apprentice for a quill
Quill
A quill pen is a writing implement made from a flight feather of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, metal-nibbed pens, the fountain pen, and, eventually, the ballpoint pen...
manufacturer. He also joined The New York Literary Society where he learned how to debate. This led to him becoming a law student and he was admitted to practice law in 1839.
Career
In 1843, Daly was elected to the New York State Assembly, representing the Fourth Ward of New York City. While in office, he staunchly supported the establishment of Central ParkCentral Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
against considerable opposition.
The following year, Judge William Inglis' term on the New York Court of Common Pleas expired. On a recommendation of Governor William Marcy
William L. Marcy
William Learned Marcy was an American statesman, who served as U.S. Senator and the 11th Governor of New York, and as the U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State.-Early life:...
, Governor William Bouck
William C. Bouck
William Christian Bouck was an American politician from New York. He was the 13th Governor of New York from 1843 to 1844.-Life:...
appointed Daly to the Court, beginning his term May 1844. When the position changed from an appointed one to an elected one in 1847, Daly ran for election and won, eventually becoming Chief Justice. One of his most notable cases dealt with the Astor Place Riot
Astor Place Riot
The Astor Place Riot occurred on May 10, 1849 at the now-demolished Astor Opera House in Manhattan, New York City and left at least 25 dead and more than 120 injured...
involving William Charles Macready
William Charles Macready
-Life:He was born in London, and educated at Rugby.It was his intention to go up to Oxford, but in 1809 the embarrassed affairs of his father, the lessee of several provincial theatres, called him to share the responsibilities of theatrical management. On 7 June 1810 he made a successful first...
at the Astor Place Theatre
Astor Place Theatre
The Astor Place Theatre is an off-Broadway house located at 434 Lafayette Street in the NoHo section of Manhattan. The theater is located in the historic Colonnade Row, originally constructed in 1831 as a series of nine connected buildings, of which only four remain...
. He served on the court for six consecutive terms, retiring December 30, 1885 because of the constitutional age limit. Ten years later, the Court of Common Pleas was abolished, the judges becoming justices of the New York Supreme Court
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
.
For fifteen years, starting in 1860, he lectured on law at Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
. In 1867, Daly was a member of the New York Constitutional Convention. After leaving the bench, he became a partner in the firm of Daly, Hoyt and Mason.
Interests
American Geographical SocietyCalled an “armchair explorer” by some, Daly was elected as an Ordinary Member to the American Geographical Society on February 16, 1855, to the Governing Board in 1858, and to its presidency in 1864, a position he held until his death in 1899. As a member, and then president of the AGS, Daly was influential in supporting Arctic expeditions. Daly, a bibliophile, had a personal collection of more than 12,000 volumes.
He donated 700 of his geographical books to the AGS on his 75th birthday and during his tenure as President, helped with the AGS’s library collection expansion.
Other memberships
He was an honorary member of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
of London, England, the Berlin Geographical Society
Gesellschaft für Erdkunde zu Berlin
The Gesellschaft für Erdkunde zu Berlin was founded in 1828 and is the second oldest geographical society.It was founded by some of the foremost geographers of its time...
, and Russia's Imperial Geographical Society
Russian Geographical Society
The Russian Geographical Society is a learned society, founded on 6 August 1845 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.-Imperial Geographical Society:Prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917, it was known as the Imperial Russian Geographical Society....
. In London in 1895, he was a speaker at the 6th International Geographical Congress
International Geographical Union
The International Geographical Union is an international geographical society. The first International Geographical Congress was held in Antwerp in 1871. Subsequent meetings led to the establishment of the permanent organization in Brussels, Belgium, in 1922. The Union has 34 Commissions and four...
.
In his early career years, he was a member of the New York Literary Society, the Law Association, Democratic Republican Young Men of the City and County of New York (vice-president), and New York Workingmen's Democratic Republican Association (recording-secretary).
Later, Daly was a member of the New York Historical Society, the American Philosophical Society of Pennsylvania
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
, and the Century Association
Century Association
__notoc__The Century Association is a private club in New York City. It evolved out of an earlier organization – the Sketch Club, founded in 1829 by editor and poet William Cullen Bryant and his friends – and was established in 1847 by Bryant and others as a club to promote interest in...
, St. Patrick's Society
St. Patrick's Missionary Society
St. Patrick's Society for the Foreign Missions is an Irish Roman Catholic society of apostolic life composed of missionary priests, sometimes known as the Kiltegan Fathers from its headquarters at Kiltegan, County Wicklow.-History:It was founded on St Patrick's Day, 17 March 1932 by Monsignor...
(president), and Committee for the Relief of Ireland (chairman).
Personal life
Daly met Maria Lydig in 1855. Born in 1824, Maria was the daughter of Philip Mesier Lydig, Esq. (1739–1872) of New York. Philip Lydig was the last holder of the land that subsequently became the Bronx ParkBronx Park
Bronx Park, laid out along the Bronx River in the Bronx, New York, is the home of the New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo. Bicycle paths go northwest, north and east, along Mosholu Parkway, Bronx River Parkway and Pelham Parkway respectively...
; the park now contains the New York Botanical Garden
New York Botanical Garden
- See also :* Education in New York City* List of botanical gardens in the United States* List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City- External links :* official website** blog*...
. Her mother, Katherine, was the eldest daughter of John Suydam, a Knickerbocker
Knickerbocker
Knickerbocker, also spelled Knikkerbakker, Knickerbakker, Knickerbacker, is a surname that dates back to the early Dutch colonists in New York. In 1809, Washington Irving published his satirical A History of New York under the pseudonym "Diedrich Knickerbocker", and since that time "Knickerbocker"...
.
Like Daly, Maria was a Democrat and a Unionist. They married September 27, 1856 in West Farms
West Farms, Bronx
West Farms is a residential neighborhood in a west central part of The Bronx, New York City, also known as the northeast corner of the South Bronx. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 6...
, Westchester County, New York
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
. At age 37, Maria began writing a diary, published as Diary of a Union lady, 1861-1865. She was active in the Democratic Party, the Women's Central Association for the Relief for the Army
United States Sanitary Commission
The United States Sanitary Commission was a private relief agency created by federal legislation on June 18, 1861, to support sick and wounded soldiers of the U.S. Army during the American Civil War. It operated across the North, raised its own funds, and enlisted thousands of volunteers...
, and the New York Botanical Garden. She died at their summer home in North Haven, New York
North Haven, New York
North Haven is a village in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 743 at the 2000 census.The Village of North Haven is in the Town of Southampton.-Geography:North Haven is located at ....
(near Sag Harbor) on August 21, 1894.
Like his wife, Daly died in North Haven in 1899, rather than at their home in New York City at 84 Clifton Place. His funeral service was held at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States...
.
The home in North Haven passed on to Maria's niece, Emma Hoyt. Daly's papers, military record, lectures and diaries were donated to the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
by Emma. A portrait of Daly, painted by Daniel Huntington, hangs at the courtroom of what was the New York Court of Common Pleas.
Honors
- 1860, LL.D. honorary degree conferred by Columbia University
- 1902, in accordance with Daly's Last Will and Testament, the American Geographical Society established the Charles P. Daly Medal to be awarded “for valuable or distinguished geographical services or labors”
- "Daly Avenue", in The BronxThe BronxThe Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, New York, leads to the Bronx Park http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=uYH&q=%22daly+avenue%22+new+york&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=us&ei=m2esSebWGIH0sAO9lrjFBA&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title
Partial works
- (1855). Historical sketch of the judicial tribunals of New York from 1623 to 1846, OCLC 12144261
- (1860). Naturalization embracing the past history of the subject and the present state of the law, OCLC 20789871
- (1862). Are the southern privateersmen pirates?, OCLC 3836337
- (1872). Barratry. Its origin, history and meaning, in the maritime laws, OCLC 43957835
- (1893). The settlement of Jews in North America, OCLC 123142093
- (1896). First theater in America. When was the drama first introduced in America? An inquiry; including a consideration of the objections that have been made to the stage, OCLC 246813512
Further reading
- Hammond, H. E. (1954). A commoner's judge; The life and times of Charles Patrick Daly. Boston: Christopher Pub. House. OCLC 3425256