John J. Scannell Explained

John Jay Scannell
Order:	1st
Office:	New York City Fire Commissioner
Term Start:	January 1, 1898
Term End:	December 31, 1904
Predecessor:	Inaugural holder
Birth Date:	1841

John Jay Scannell (1841  - March 5, 1918) was a Tammany Hall politician who was the leader of the Eleventh Assembly District. He was appointed the first New York City Fire Commissioner of the new consolidated New York City.

Early life

He was born in 1841 and had two brothers: Florence Scannell who was killed in 1869 in a bar-room fight; and Edward A. Scannell, who on Christmas Eve of 1875 killed a man named Henry Wilson, in what appeared to be a random attack.^[1] However, John J. Scannell had already shot and killed Thomas Donahue in revenge for the killing of his brother in 1872.^[2] He was arrested and was acquitted on the grounds of emotional insanity. While he was imprisoned in The Tombs, he met Richard Croker, the future head of Tammany Hall and they developed a friendship. Croker was at the time also imprisoned and charged with murder, for which he was found innocent.

Career

In 1893, he was appointed a 6-year term as the New York City Fire Commissioner by Mayor Thomas F. Gilroy replacing S. Howland Robbins, the salary was $5,000 per year (approximately $ today in current dollars).^[3] He was appointed the 1st Fire Commissioner of the Consolidated City of New York by Tammany Hall Mayor Robert A. Van Wyck on January 1, 1898. He served in that position until the end of the Van Wyck Administration on December 31, 1901. In 1901 he was indicted for being involved in a kickback scheme for the purchasing of supplies by the New York City Fire Department.^[4]

Personal life

He was married to Ophelia Scannell (1845–1883). Together, they were the parents of:^[5]

• Florence Scannell (1873–1878), who died young.
• Clark Scannell (1877–1883), who also died young.

By 1902 he bought a farm on Newburgh, New York.^{[6] [7]} He later purchased Chateau Ophelia in Saratoga Springs, New York, for $53,000.^[8]

He died on March 5, 1918, of pneumonia at St. Mary's Hospital in Queens, New York.^[9]

Notes and References

1. News: Chief Croker's Assailant May Now Get a Double Dose of Justice. For Shooting Henry Wilson in 1875. He May Be Punished in Connection with the Attack on the Fire Chief . Edward A. Scannell, brother of John J. Scannell, the Tammany leader, and ex-Fire Commissioner, feels badly over the discovery of the box full of old indictments, found a week ago yesterday by attaches of the District Attorney's office. It developed yesterday that among the indictments was one against Scannell for a deadly assault committed Christmas Eve, 1875, on an inoffensive stranger named Henry Wilson. . . September 15, 1895 . 2008-06-30 .
2. News: A Man Deliberately Hunted to Death. Thomas Donoghue Murdered by John Scannell. Flight and Capture of the Assassin. An Angry Mob Endeavor to Lynch Him . The Scannell-Donoghue feud culminated last night in the murder of Thomas Donoghue by John Scannell, brother of Florence Scannell, who was shot several years ago in a bar-room fight. The result of this most bitter feud was not unexpected, as Donoghue was known to be in constant danger of his life at the hands of Scannell, who succeeded in shooting him last... . . November 6, 1872 .
3. News: Bernard F. Martin a Police Justice and John J. Scannell Reappointed Fire Commissioner . Fire Commissioner John J. Scannell is fiftytwo years of age and was appointed by Mayor Gllroy to fill the term of Henry D. Purroy in the Fire Board in January. ... In 1872 he shot and killed Thomas Donahue in revenge for the killing of his brother, Florence Scannell. He was acquitted on the grounds of emotional insanity.. . May 2, 1893 . 2010-03-24 .
4. News: Commissioner Scannell And Marks Indicted. They Are Accused of Conspiracy to Defraud the City. Fire Commissioner Also Charged with Willful Neglect of Duty. Says Investigation Will Justify His Actions. Fire Commissioner John J. Scannell and 'Agent' William L. Marks were yesterday indicted by the Grand Jury as a result of the ten days' investigation into the manner of purchasing supplies by the Fire Department, which the official inquisitors completed yesterday. . . June 29, 1901 . 2010-03-24 .
5. News: JOHN J. SCANNELL DIES OF PNEUMONIA . 18 June 2020 . . 6 March 1918 . 9.
6. News: John J. Scannell's Purchase. Bids in the Springdale Driving Park of Two Hundred Acres While on His Way to Saratoga . To-day Gen. Duboist Brinckerhoff, a veteran horse owner and trainer, is thankful that ex-Fire Commissioner John J. Scannell of New York chanced along through this part of Dutchess County just as his home was about to be sold. . . May 3, 1902. 2010-03-24 .
7. News: Mr. Scannell's $35,000 Bag. Fortune in a Grip He Left Behind to Catch a Train to Saratoga. . John J. Scannell, the Tammany politician who recently bought a stock farm here, pays occasional visits to inspect the many improvements he is making on the property. He made one of those visits yesterday, and paid a hurried call to his newly acquired farm, which includes a well-laid half-mile track. . . June 28, 1902 . 2010-03-24 .
8. News: John J. Scannel Buys Saratoga Land . Ex-Fire Commissioner John J. Scannell of New York, owns Chateau Ophelia, one of the finest country places about Saratoga, has purchased a lot of land on Clark Street ... for $53,000. . . July 10, 1902 . 2010-03-24 .
9. News: J. J. Scannell, Old Tammanyite, Dies. Ex-Fire Commissioner and Ex-Fire Chief Expires of Pneumonia at 78 Years. Avenged Brother's Death. Acquitted as Insane, His Political Rise Followed Friendship Made with Croker in Tombs. . John Jay Scannell, ex-Fire Commissioner of this city, an intimate of Richard Croker, and one of the picturesque figures in New York Politics for many years, died yesterday in St. Mary's Hospital, Jamaica, L. I. from pneumonia. He was 78 years old, and his . . March 6, 1918. 2010-03-25 .