Joab Hamilton Banton (August 27, 1869 in

Huntsville Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...

Walker County, Texas Walker County is a county located in the east central section of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 76,400. Its county seat is Huntsville. Initially, Walker County was named for Robert J. Walker, a legislator f ...

– July 20, 1949) was

New York County District Attorney The New York County District Attorney, also known as the Manhattan District Attorney, is the elected district attorney for New York County (Manhattan), New York (state), New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New ...

from 1922 to 1929. (subscription required)

Early life and education

He was the son of Joab H. Banton, a judge in

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...

, and Imogene (Hamilton) Banton. He graduated

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from

Kentucky University The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state' ...

in 1890, and was admitted to the bar in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

in 1891. On June 17, 1896, he married Maud Harris in

Belton, Texas Belton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas on the Interstate 35 in Texas, Interstate 35 corridor between Austin, Texas, Austin and Waco, Texas, Waco. Belton is the county seat of Bell County, Texas, Bell County and is the fifth largest city in t ...

. Afterwards he removed to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and continued there the practice of law.

Career

In January 1918, he was appointed by D.A.

Edward Swann Edward Swann (March 10, 1862 – September 19, 1945) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from New York. From November 4, 1902 to March 3, 1903, he served part of one term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Life He was born on Mar ...

as an Assistant D.A. He remained in office until August 1919 when he resigned to resume his private practice as a partner in Banton, Ferguson & Moore. In July 1920, he defended D.A. Swann in a one-million-dollar suit brought by

Gaston Means Gaston Bullock Means (July 11, 1879 – December 12, 1938) was an American private detective, salesman, bootlegger, forger, swindler, murder suspect, blackmailer, and con artist. While not involved in the Teapot Dome scandal, Means was associ ...

. Swann Chief Assistant D.A. appointed Banton in January 1921, and during most of the year acted as District Attorney while Swann remained out-of-state. In November 1921, Banton was elected on the Tammany Hall ticket

, defeating the "Coalition" candidate John Kirkland Clark. On taking office in January 1922, Banton appointed

Ferdinand Pecora Ferdinand Pecora (January 6, 1882 – December 7, 1971) was an American lawyer and New York State Supreme Court judge who became famous in the 1930s as Chief Counsel to the United States Senate Committee on Banking and Currency during its investi ...

as his Chief Assistant D.A. As D.A., Banton indicted more than 100 bucket shops during the

Roaring 20's The Roaring Twenties, sometimes stylized as Roaring '20s, refers to the 1920s decade in music and fashion, as it happened in Western society and Western culture. It was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultural edge in the U ...

. In 1924, he got a conviction of William H. Anderson of the

New York Anti-Saloon League The New York Anti-Saloon League was an American organization that worked toward the prohibition of alcohol and the closing of saloons. Located at 156 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, it was an offshoot of the Ohio-based Anti-Saloon League. Adna W. Leonar ...

on fraud charges. In 1925, he was re-elected with a large plurality over Ex-Governor

Charles S. Whitman Charles Seymour Whitman (September 29, 1868March 29, 1947) was an American lawyer who served as the 41st Governor of New York from January 1, 1915, to December 31, 1918. An attorney and politician, he also served as a delegate from New York to t ...

who had been New York County D.A. from 1910 to 1914. Banton was instrumental in establishing peace between the

On Leong Chinese Merchants Association The On Leong Chinese Merchants Association () or simply Chinese Merchants Association, formerly known as the On Leong Tong (), is a tong society operating out of its territory in Mott Street in New York's Chinatown. Established in November 1893 ...

and the

Hip Sing Association The Hip Sing Association or HSA (), formerly known as the Hip Sing Tong (), is a Chinese-American criminal organization/gang formed as a labor organization in New York City's Chinatown during the early 20th century (perhaps c. 1904). The Canton ...

in the

Tong War The Tong Wars were a series of violent disputes beginning in the late 19th century among rival Chinese Tong factions centered in the Chinatowns of various American cities, in particular San Francisco. Tong wars could be triggered by a variety o ...

for control of Chinatown. His office investigated the murder of

Arnold Rothstein Arnold Rothstein (January 17, 1882 – November 4, 1928), nicknamed "The Brain", was an American racketeer, crime boss, businessman, and gambler in New York City. Rothstein was widely reputed to have organized corruption in professional athleti ...

and prosecuted George "Hump" McManus, who was acquitted.

Sources

''BANTON RESIGNS POST''
in NYT on August 28, 1919
''SWANN ANSWERS MEANS''
in NYT on July 3, 1920
''CLARK, IN OPEN TILT, BOMBARDS BANTON''
in NYT on October 31, 1921
''BANTON ASKS DEITY TO GUIDE HIS TERM''
in NYT on January 2, 1922

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banton, Joab Hamilton 1869 births 1949 deaths People from Huntsville, Texas Transylvania University alumni New York County District Attorneys New York (state) Democrats

Early life and education

Career

See also

Sources

References