John S. Folk
Encyclopedia
John S. Folk was an American law enforcement officer in New York City
during mid-to late 19th century. A prominent police official during the early years of the Municipal Police Department
, Folk served as the first police chief of the Brooklyn Municipal Police from 1851 to 1865, NYPD police inspector until 1870 and police superintendent from 1873 to 1875. He was also a participant in the Bread Riot of 1837, the Angel Gabriel riot of 1854
and the Draft Riot of 1863
, helping defend both the offices of the New York Tribune
and the Brooklyn Eagle
from rioters.
The city watch was then composed of officers whose members were elected and, within a short time, Folk was nominated as Head Constable. He was continuously elected to the position several times until 1851 when the Brooklyn Municipal Police was formed. He and ex-Police Chief Joel Smith
were nominated for Brooklyn Chief of Police, which Folk won with a large majority, and held the position for almost 15 years. During 1854, he led police during the Angel Gabriel riot
as well as violence among abolitionists and volunteer firefighters
. It was while battling with firemen that Folk was nearly killed from being struck on the head with an iron wrench and carried the scar for the rest of his life. In the Draft Riots of 1863, Folk led a small police detachment into Manhattan. After helping stabilize Uptown Manhattan, he joined with Inspector Daniel C. Carpenter
to relieve the besieged defenders of the New York Tribune
office. After the rioters were driven from the New York Tribune, he and Carpenter trapped them in City Hall Park and broke up the mob. Folk later returned to Brooklyn where he further suppressed rioting over the next few days and saved the Brooklyn Eagle
offices as well. He also protected the Plymouth Church who, with a group of 40 other officers, stood guard in the lecture room and behind the church organ as Reverend Henry Ward Beecher
gave a Sunday sermon
and church service
s.
At the end of the American Civil War
, the modern Metropolitan Police Department
was established by the New York State Legislature. The newly formed Board of Commissioners, which then included Brooklyn and Staten Island
under its jurisdiction, appointed Folk to the rank of police inspector and gave him authority over the entire Brooklyn police force. He was eventually legislated out of office when the Brooklyn Board of Commissioners was formed in 1870, with Patrick Campbell being appointed superintendent. Two years later, Folk was made a police inspector and succeeded Campbell as superintendent a year later. He held this position until Campbell was reappointed in 1875.
Folk remained with the police force for several more years until he began suffering health problems brought on by old age. In 1885, he became seriously ill and suffered from dropsy for around two weeks prior to his death. Folk died at his Skillman Street home on the morning of June 25, 1885. A special meeting of NYPD police captains was held shortly afterwards, which included Superintendent Campbell and Inspector John MacKellar, to appoint a committee to handle the funeral arraignments. This was headed by Captains Cornelius Woglom, Henry L. Jewett and James McLaughlin. The funeral was held at Folk's home the next evening and then interned at Greenwood Cemetery
in a private burial. He was survived by two sons and three daughters. One of his sons, William H. Folk, was a noted veteran police detective and captain of the Twelfth Precinct at the time of his father's death.
A daughter, Elizabeth, was married to Samuel H. Wilson in the late 1870s, and their daughter, Vinia, was born around 1880. This Wilson-Folk marriage dissolved in December, 1891. Eight years later, Wilson married Miss Margaret D. McNeal in Newburgh, New York in June 1898. His wife Elizabeth did not remarry, and was a schoolteacher in Brooklyn until her death in 1912. Her daughter Vinia married Alexander Cruden in about 1906, and they had one son, Milton A. Cruden, an executive with Con Edison who died childless in 1967 while on vacation in Canada.
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...
during mid-to late 19th century. A prominent police official during the early years of the Municipal Police Department
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...
, Folk served as the first police chief of the Brooklyn Municipal Police from 1851 to 1865, NYPD police inspector until 1870 and police superintendent from 1873 to 1875. He was also a participant in the Bread Riot of 1837, the Angel Gabriel riot of 1854
Angel Gabriel
Angel Gabriel may refer to:*The Archangel Gabriel*The Angel Gabriel , an English galleon that sank off Pemaquid, Maine...
and the Draft Riot of 1863
New York Draft Riots
The New York City draft riots were violent disturbances in New York City that were the culmination of discontent with new laws passed by Congress to draft men to fight in the ongoing American Civil War. The riots were the largest civil insurrection in American history apart from the Civil War itself...
, helping defend both the offices of the New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
and the Brooklyn Eagle
Brooklyn Eagle
The Brooklyn Daily Bulletin began publishing when the original Eagle folded in 1955. In 1996 it merged with a newly revived Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and now publishes a morning paper five days a week under the Brooklyn Daily Eagle name...
from rioters.
Biography
John S. Folk was born in Brooklyn, New York around 1811. His exact birthplace was a farmhouse which occupied the present-day site of the Municipal Building. Folk worked as a carpenter prior to joining the borough's first organized police force, the Brooklyn City Watch, during the 1830s. He remained "a trusted member" of the city watch throughout his service and, according to the New York Times, his "large and powerful frame, his undaunted courage, and his ceaseless energy made him a valuable preserver of public peace". This was especially evident in his conduct during the Bread Riot of 1837 in which he reportedly displayed "remarkable coolness, bravery, and genius for leadership" and was a key figure putting down the riot.The city watch was then composed of officers whose members were elected and, within a short time, Folk was nominated as Head Constable. He was continuously elected to the position several times until 1851 when the Brooklyn Municipal Police was formed. He and ex-Police Chief Joel Smith
Joel Smith
Joel Smith is a former Australian rules footballer.Beginning his career in 1995 as a bright young prospect for St Kilda, Smith was touted as the future of the club....
were nominated for Brooklyn Chief of Police, which Folk won with a large majority, and held the position for almost 15 years. During 1854, he led police during the Angel Gabriel riot
Angel Gabriel
Angel Gabriel may refer to:*The Archangel Gabriel*The Angel Gabriel , an English galleon that sank off Pemaquid, Maine...
as well as violence among abolitionists and volunteer firefighters
New York City Fire Department
The New York City Fire Department or the Fire Department of the City of New York has the responsibility for protecting the citizens and property of New York City's five boroughs from fires and fire hazards, providing emergency medical services, technical rescue as well as providing first response...
. It was while battling with firemen that Folk was nearly killed from being struck on the head with an iron wrench and carried the scar for the rest of his life. In the Draft Riots of 1863, Folk led a small police detachment into Manhattan. After helping stabilize Uptown Manhattan, he joined with 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...
to relieve the besieged defenders of the New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
office. After the rioters were driven from the New York Tribune, he and Carpenter trapped them in City Hall Park and broke up the mob. Folk later returned to Brooklyn where he further suppressed rioting over the next few days and saved the Brooklyn Eagle
Brooklyn Eagle
The Brooklyn Daily Bulletin began publishing when the original Eagle folded in 1955. In 1996 it merged with a newly revived Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and now publishes a morning paper five days a week under the Brooklyn Daily Eagle name...
offices as well. He also protected the Plymouth Church who, with a group of 40 other officers, stood guard in the lecture room and behind the church organ as Reverend Henry Ward Beecher
Henry Ward Beecher
Henry Ward Beecher was a prominent Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, abolitionist, and speaker in the mid to late 19th century...
gave a Sunday sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
and church service
Church service
In Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of communal worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sabbatarianism. The church service is the gathering together of Christians to be...
s.
At the end of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the modern Metropolitan Police Department
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...
was established by the New York State Legislature. The newly formed Board of Commissioners, which then included Brooklyn and Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
under its jurisdiction, appointed Folk to the rank of police inspector and gave him authority over the entire Brooklyn police force. He was eventually legislated out of office when the Brooklyn Board of Commissioners was formed in 1870, with Patrick Campbell being appointed superintendent. Two years later, Folk was made a police inspector and succeeded Campbell as superintendent a year later. He held this position until Campbell was reappointed in 1875.
Folk remained with the police force for several more years until he began suffering health problems brought on by old age. In 1885, he became seriously ill and suffered from dropsy for around two weeks prior to his death. Folk died at his Skillman Street home on the morning of June 25, 1885. A special meeting of NYPD police captains was held shortly afterwards, which included Superintendent Campbell and Inspector John MacKellar, to appoint a committee to handle the funeral arraignments. This was headed by Captains Cornelius Woglom, Henry L. Jewett and James McLaughlin. The funeral was held at Folk's home the next evening and then interned at Greenwood Cemetery
Greenwood Cemetery
Greenwood Cemetery may refer to:in the United States*Greenwood Cemetery, Orlando, Florida, near Downtown Orlando*Greenwood Cemetery, Jefferson County, Alabama, near the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport...
in a private burial. He was survived by two sons and three daughters. One of his sons, William H. Folk, was a noted veteran police detective and captain of the Twelfth Precinct at the time of his father's death.
A daughter, Elizabeth, was married to Samuel H. Wilson in the late 1870s, and their daughter, Vinia, was born around 1880. This Wilson-Folk marriage dissolved in December, 1891. Eight years later, Wilson married Miss Margaret D. McNeal in Newburgh, New York in June 1898. His wife Elizabeth did not remarry, and was a schoolteacher in Brooklyn until her death in 1912. Her daughter Vinia married Alexander Cruden in about 1906, and they had one son, Milton A. Cruden, an executive with Con Edison who died childless in 1967 while on vacation in Canada.
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.
- 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.
- Headley, J.T. The Great Riots of New York, 1712 to 1873, Including a Full and Complete Account of the Four Days' Draft Riot of 1863. New York: E.B. Treat, 1873.
- 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.