Francis C. Speight
Encyclopedia
Francis C. Speight was an American law enforcement officer and police inspector for the New York City Police Department
. A noted crimefighter, credited for running out the criminal elements from Manhattan
's Eighteenth and Nineteenth Wards in the 1850s, he also took part in the Police Riot of 1857
and New York Draft Riots of 1863. Prior to the outbreak of violence at the Third Avenue draft office, Speight was the only officer to maintain control of his station, the Broadway
draft office, during the early hours of the riots.
on May 16, 1816. He first arrived in New York City in 1830 where he was apprenticed as a ship-smith until he was 21 years old. A strong supporter of the Whig Party
, he became involved in local politics as a young man and held considerable influence in the Eleventh Ward as a political organizer for the party. This was most evident during the 1840 U.S. presidential election
which resulted in the successful election of William Henry Harrison
.
In 1845, Speight was appointed to the police force by Alderman Jance D. Oliver and assigned to the Fifteenth Ward. His success against the criminal elements in the area soon earned him promotion to second lieutenant, a position being the modern equivalent to police sergeant. Speight's term of office expired in 1849. With the Whigs not then in power, he was not reappointed and briefly retired to private life.
Shortly thereafter, Speight was appointed Inspector of Customs by then Collector of the Port Hugh Maxwell. He held that position until 1853 and returned to the Municipal police the following year by appointment from the Board of Police Commissioners, then including Mayor Westervelt, City Judge Buebe and Recorder Tillon. On June 3, 1854, Speight received his commission as police captain and was made commander of the recently created Twenty-First Ward, formerly comprising the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Wards.
squads sent out at every disturbance caused by them. On one of these occasions, Speight was seriously injured after being struck on the forehead with a blunt object and confined to his bed for several weeks. The scars he received from the injury would remain for the rest of his life. Using aggressive and heavy-handed tactics, Speight directly confronted the street gang and was able to successfully drive them out of the district.
in 1857 and turned his office to the new organization. He was among the first senior police officials to join the Metropolitans, Inspector Daniel C. Carpenter
and George W. Dilks
among others, and he was returned to his former post. Many of these had been former Whigs who now aligned themselves with the New York Republican Party. He also took part in the Police Riot of 1857
assisting in the arrest of Mayor Fernando Wood
.
During the early hours of the New York Draft Riot of 1863, upon news of crowds gathering at the Third Avenue draft office and in Central Park
, Police Superintendent John Alexander Kennedy
dispatched sixty-nine patrolmen under the command of Speight and Sergeants Wade, Wolfe, John Mangin and Robert McCredie to guard the Broadway
draft office. No trouble occurred there under Speight's watch and drafting went ahead as scheduled and uninterrupted until noon when it was adjourned for twenty-four hours. The same force under Captain Galen T. Porter
had been overwhelmed by the mob and forced to flee from the building after a brief siege when it was set on fire with assistance from members of the Volunteer Engine Company, No. 33 ("The Black Joke"). Speight would be on constant duty throughout the riots.
at his home on Eighty-Third Street. Although it was known that Speight had been ill, his sudden death was unexpected and came as a great shock to the police force.
His funeral was held days later at the Church of the Transfiguration
, popularly known at the time as "The Little Church Round the Corner", and was attended by members of the Board of Police Commissioners Williams F. Smith, Joel B. Erhardt, Dewitt C. Wheeler and Sidney P. Nichols, ex-Police Commissioners Barr and Voorhis, former Police Superintendent George Washington Matsell, Chief Police Clerk Seth C. Hawley, Superintendent George W. Walling and all police captain
s including Captain John Mangin of the Yonkers Police Department
. Politicians and city officials Charles F. Maclean, John J. Morris, Thomas "Big Tom" Brennan and George Starr were also in attendance.
His body was escorted by aids and personal friends from his home in Carmansville to his church, his pallbearers being Police Inspectors McDermott and Thomas W. Thorne, Captains Petty, Caffrey, Hedden, Bennett, Davis and Mount, and services performed by Rev. George W. Houghton and E. C. Houghton. The hymn
"Rock of Ages" was sung by the church choir and a police battalion under Inspector George W. Dilks
formed on Twenty-Ninth Street in front of the church. At the service's conclusion, a band played a dirge
and the battalion presented arms as the casket was taken to Evergreen Cemetery
for burial.
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
. A noted crimefighter, credited for running out the criminal elements from Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Eighteenth and Nineteenth Wards in the 1850s, he also took part in the Police Riot of 1857
New York City Police Riot
The New York City Police Riot of 1857, known at the time as the Great Police Riot, was a conflict which occurred between the recently dissolved New York Municipal Police and the newly formed Metropolitan Police on June 16, 1857...
and New York Draft Riots of 1863. Prior to the outbreak of violence at the Third Avenue draft office, Speight was the only officer to maintain control of his station, the 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...
draft office, during the early hours of the riots.
Early life and career
Francis C. Speight was born in Ithaca, New YorkIthaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
on May 16, 1816. He first arrived in New York City in 1830 where he was apprenticed as a ship-smith until he was 21 years old. A strong supporter of the Whig Party
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
, he became involved in local politics as a young man and held considerable influence in the Eleventh Ward as a political organizer for the party. This was most evident during the 1840 U.S. presidential election
United States presidential election, 1840
The United States presidential election of 1840 saw President Martin Van Buren fight for re-election against an economic depression and a Whig Party unified for the first time behind war hero William Henry Harrison and his "log cabin campaign"...
which resulted in the successful election of William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
.
In 1845, Speight was appointed to the police force by Alderman Jance D. Oliver and assigned to the Fifteenth Ward. His success against the criminal elements in the area soon earned him promotion to second lieutenant, a position being the modern equivalent to police sergeant. Speight's term of office expired in 1849. With the Whigs not then in power, he was not reappointed and briefly retired to private life.
Shortly thereafter, Speight was appointed Inspector of Customs by then Collector of the Port Hugh Maxwell. He held that position until 1853 and returned to the Municipal police the following year by appointment from the Board of Police Commissioners, then including Mayor Westervelt, City Judge Buebe and Recorder Tillon. On June 3, 1854, Speight received his commission as police captain and was made commander of the recently created Twenty-First Ward, formerly comprising the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Wards.
Police captain of the 21st Precinct
In the area where the Twenty-First Precinct was located, a particularly violent group of "rowdies" were active and where they based their criminal activities for nearly a decade. Reinforced by Fire Department roughs, these criminals had been a constant source of trouble to the local police. Speight decided to take on the criminal gang and headed policesquads sent out at every disturbance caused by them. On one of these occasions, Speight was seriously injured after being struck on the forehead with a blunt object and confined to his bed for several weeks. The scars he received from the injury would remain for the rest of his life. Using aggressive and heavy-handed tactics, Speight directly confronted the street gang and was able to successfully drive them out of the district.
Police Riot of 1857 & the New York Draft Riot of 1863
Speight remained in command of the Twenty-First Ward until the formation of the Municipal Police DepartmentNew York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
in 1857 and turned his office to the new organization. He was among the first senior police officials to join the Metropolitans, Inspector Daniel C. Carpenter
Daniel C. Carpenter
Daniel C. Carpenter was an American law enforcement officer and police inspector of the New York Police Department. He was one of earliest leading detectives on the police force during the mid-19th century and also had a prominent role in the Police Riot of 1857 and New York Draft Riots in 1863...
and George W. Dilks
George W. Dilks
George W. Dilks was an American law enforcement officer and police inspector with the New York City Police Department during the mid-to late 19th century...
among others, and he was returned to his former post. Many of these had been former Whigs who now aligned themselves with the New York Republican Party. He also took part in the Police Riot of 1857
New York City Police Riot
The New York City Police Riot of 1857, known at the time as the Great Police Riot, was a conflict which occurred between the recently dissolved New York Municipal Police and the newly formed Metropolitan Police on June 16, 1857...
assisting in the arrest of Mayor Fernando Wood
Fernando Wood
Fernando Wood was an American politician of the Democratic Party and mayor of New York City; he also served as a United States Representative and as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means in both the 45th and 46th Congress .A successful shipping merchant who became Grand Sachem of the...
.
During the early hours of the New York Draft Riot of 1863, upon news of crowds gathering at the Third Avenue draft office and in Central Park
Central 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...
, Police Superintendent John Alexander Kennedy
John Alexander Kennedy
John Alexander Kennedy was the superintendent of police for New York City.-Biography:He was born in Baltimore, Maryland on August 9, 1803. His father was a native of Ireland who became a teacher in Baltimore. John moved to New York City and worked with his brother...
dispatched sixty-nine patrolmen under the command of Speight and Sergeants Wade, Wolfe, John Mangin and Robert McCredie to guard the 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...
draft office. No trouble occurred there under Speight's watch and drafting went ahead as scheduled and uninterrupted until noon when it was adjourned for twenty-four hours. The same force under Captain Galen T. Porter
Galen T. Porter
Galen T. Porter was an American law enforcement officer and police captain in the New York City Police Department. One of the senior police commanders during the New York Draft Riots, he helped defend the Third Avenue draft office and later headed the Nineteenth Precinct.-Biography:Galen Porter...
had been overwhelmed by the mob and forced to flee from the building after a brief siege when it was set on fire with assistance from members of the Volunteer Engine Company, No. 33 ("The Black Joke"). Speight would be on constant duty throughout the riots.
Later years and death
On March 20, 1877, Speight died from pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
at his home on Eighty-Third Street. Although it was known that Speight had been ill, his sudden death was unexpected and came as a great shock to the police force.
His funeral was held days later at the Church of the Transfiguration
Church of the Transfiguration
-Albania:*Holy Transfiguration Monastery Church, Çatistë*Holy Transfiguration Church, Gjirokastër*Holy Transfiguration Monastery Church, Mingul-Russia:* Church of the Transfiguration located in Kizhi -United States:Alaska...
, popularly known at the time as "The Little Church Round the Corner", and was attended by members of the Board of Police Commissioners Williams F. Smith, Joel B. Erhardt, Dewitt C. Wheeler and Sidney P. Nichols, ex-Police Commissioners Barr and Voorhis, former Police Superintendent George Washington Matsell, Chief Police Clerk Seth C. Hawley, Superintendent George W. Walling and all police captain
Police captain
- France :France uses the rank of capitaine for management duties in both uniformed and plain-clothed policing. The rank comes senior to lieutenant and junior to commandant....
s including Captain John Mangin of the Yonkers Police Department
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
. Politicians and city officials Charles F. Maclean, John J. Morris, Thomas "Big Tom" Brennan and George Starr were also in attendance.
His body was escorted by aids and personal friends from his home in Carmansville to his church, his pallbearers being Police Inspectors McDermott and Thomas W. Thorne, Captains Petty, Caffrey, Hedden, Bennett, Davis and Mount, and services performed by Rev. George W. Houghton and E. C. Houghton. The hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
"Rock of Ages" was sung by the church choir and a police battalion under Inspector George W. Dilks
George W. Dilks
George W. Dilks was an American law enforcement officer and police inspector with the New York City Police Department during the mid-to late 19th century...
formed on Twenty-Ninth Street in front of the church. At the service's conclusion, a band played a dirge
Dirge
A dirge is a somber song expressing mourning or grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral. A lament. The English word "dirge" is derived from the Latin Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam , the first words of the first antiphon in the Matins of the Office...
and the battalion presented arms as the casket was taken to Evergreen Cemetery
Evergreen Cemetery
Evergreen Cemetery may refer to:In the United States* Evergreen Cemetery * Evergreen Cemetery , listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Cochise County, Arizona...
for burial.
Further reading
- Barnes, David M. The Draft Riots in New York, July, 1863: The Metropolitan Police, Their Services During Riot Week, Their Honorable Record. New York: Baker & Godwin, 1863.
- Bernstein, Iver. The New York City Draft Riots: Their Significance for American Society and Politics in the Age of the Civil War. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.
- Cook, Adrian. The Armies of the Streets: The New York City Draft Riots of 1863. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1974.
- Costello, Augustine E. Our Police Protectors: History of the New York Police from the Earliest Period to the Present Time. New York: A.E. Costello, 1885.
- Hickey, John J. Our Police Guardians: History of the Police Department of the City of New York, and the Policing of Same for the Past One Hundred Years. New York: John J. Hickey, 1925.
- McCague, James. The Second Rebellion: The Story of the New York City Draft Riots of 1863. New York: Dial Press, 1968.