John D. Coughlin (July 2, 1874 – September 30, 1951) was an American law enforcement officer, detective and

police inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

in the

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

. He served as head of the NYPD detectives division from 1920 until 1928 when he was removed from office amid charges of police laxity following the murder of underworld figure

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 athletic ...

Biography

John Coughlin was born on July 2, 1874. In September 1896, while

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

was still head of the Board of Police Commissioners, he joined the

as a patrolman. He spent 11 years in the Tenderloin district, where he earned a reputation as a courageous and highly skilled officer, before being made acting captain and took change of the combined detective commands in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

. He was eventually responsible for the capture of the bank robber Frank Hamby who was later convicted and sent to the

electric chair An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...

."J.D. Coughlin Dies; Police Ex-Official; Inspector, Head of Detectives, 1920-28, Was Removed After Rothstein Murder". New York Times. 1 Oct 1951 On December 30, 1909, while stationed in

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

, then Sergeant Coughlin and two patrolman were ordered to keep Chinese comedian Ah Hoon under protective custody. Ah Hoon, a member of the

On Leong Tong 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 ...

, had been threatened by the rival Hip Sings and Four Brothers for his refusal to ridicule the tong's during his performances. Coughlin and the other two officers accompanied Ah Hoon to the Chinese Theater where they sat on stage throughout Ah Hoon's act and then escorted the comedian through an underground passageway back to his home in Chatham Square. Despite their precautions, Ah Hoon was found dead in his room the following morning becoming the first victim to fall during the

Tong wars 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 ...

. Asbury, Herbert. ''The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the New York Underworld''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1928. (pg. 287-288) The early years of

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

brought a number of problems for law enforcement agencies throughout the country, these issues first becoming evident in the NYPD, and which would affect Coughlin's tenure upon his appointment as head of the NYPD detectives division by Police Commissioner

Richard Edward Enright Richard Edward Enright (August 30, 1871 – September 4, 1953) was an American law enforcement officer, detective, and crime writer and served as NYPD Police Commissioner from 1918 until 1925. He was the first man to rise from the rank-and-fil ...

in September 1920. It was hoped that his appointment would restore the public's confidence after the failure of the police to solve a string of high-profile murders, most notably, the unsolved murder of New York playboy Joseph B. Elwell. When

was shot and killed in the Park Central Hotel on November 4, 1928, Coughlin and his detectives were unable to find any suspects in the Broadway area who might have had a motive to kill Rothstein. The investigation stalled and charges of police laxity and indifference were made by the press. The implications, then compared to the police complicity in the 1912 murder of

Herman Rosenthal Herman Rosenthal (October 6, 1843 – 1917) was an American author, editor, and librarian. Biography Rosenthal was born in Friedrichstadt (Jaunjelgava), Courland. He was educated at Bauske (Bauska) and Jakobstadt (Jēkabpils), graduating in 18 ...

, created such a scandal that then Police Commissioner

Joseph Warren Joseph Warren (June 11, 1741 – June 17, 1775), a Founding Father of the United States, was an American physician who was one of the most important figures in the Patriot movement in Boston during the early days of the American Revolution, ...

, a former law partner of Mayor James J. Walker, resigned due to ill health. His successor, Grover A. Whalen, immediately began investigations accusing a number of senior police officials of police inaction in regards to the Rothstein murder. Half a dozen officers would become victims of Whalen's actions. Coughlin and Chief Inspector William J. Lahey, then head of the uniformed force, were both removed from their commands on December 19 and eventually forced into retirement. Coughlin publicly defended his conduct during the murder investigation and pointed out that Commissioner Whalen was never able make any more progress then he did, with the case remaining unsolved. Coughlin was later hired as chief investigator for the

Johns-Manville Corporation Johns Manville is an American company based in Denver, Colorado, that manufactures insulation, roofing materials and engineered products. For much of the 20th century, the then-titled Johns-Manville Corporation was the global leader in the ...

and held the post until 1949. He died at his

Lexington Avenue Lexington Avenue, often colloquially abbreviated as "Lex", is an avenue on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that carries southbound one-way traffic from East 131st Street to Gramercy Park at East 21st Street. Along it ...

home after a long illness on the morning of September 30, 1951, survived by his nephew and only living relative William Poling.

Biography

References

Further reading