John Fleming (June 1, 1842 – April 19, 1918) was an
Irish-American
, image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png
, image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state
, caption = Notable Irish Americans
, population =
36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...
lawyer and judge.
Life
Fleming was born on June 1, 1842 in
County Monaghan, Ireland
County Monaghan ( ; ga, Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Co ...
, the son of William Fleming and Mary O'Neill. His parents died when he was five, after which he was raised and educated by his maternal uncle James O'Neill.
In 1856, he immigrated to America and settled in
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
,
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 ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
with his four sisters. He attended public school for two years, after which he became a clerk for Watson & Mears. He briefly attended Rev. Matthew Hunting's private school. At the encouragement of
Judge Armstrong, he began to study law in the office of Armstrong & Fosdick until the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
interrupted his studies.
In August 1862, Fleming enlisted as a private in Company A. of the
165th New York Infantry Regiment. In September 1862, he was promoted to corporal. In November 1862, he was promoted to sergeant. In November 1863, he was promoted to first sergeant. He was honorably discharged in September 1865.
He participated in movements along the
James River
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
and was in the
Battles of Cedar Creek,
Winchester
Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
,
Plains Store,
Ponchatoula
Ponchatoula is the second-largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. The population was 6,559 at the 2010 census and 7,545 at the time of the 2020 population estimates program.
Etymology
It is speculated that the name is derived from the Ch ...
,
Sabine Cross Roads,
Pleasant Hill,
Cane River
Cane River (''Rivière aux Cannes'') is a riverU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 3, 2011 formed from a portion of the Red River that is located in Natchitoches Pa ...
,
Mausura Plains, and
Port Hudson. He responded to
General Banks' call for volunteers for the last assault on Port Hudson.
After the war, Fleming returned to studying law with Armstrong & Fosdick and was admitted to the bar in 1866. He continued working in the same office until 1870, when he made a visit to Ireland. Upon his return, he opened his own law office and started a general law practice. He served as village trustee for six years. In 1883, after Governor
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
removed District Attorney
Benjamin W. Downing for bribery, the governor appointed him
Queens County District Attorney
The District Attorney of Queens County is the elected district attorney for Queens County in New York State, coterminous with the New York City borough of Queens. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws. ...
. A few days later, the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
nominated him as their candidate for the office and he won the election against
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
William J. Youngs. As district attorney, he prosecuted a large number of murder trials. After his first term, the Democratic Party gave their nomination to
Thomas F. McGowan. McGowan won the election, but a few months later it was revealed that as town supervisor he was defaulter of $40,000, and he fled. The District Attorney position now vacant, Judge Bartlett of the court of oyer and toyer appointed Fleming to handle the criminal business of the term. Governor
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit.
Terminology
The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...
officially appointed him as District Attorney in August 1887, and he was elected to the office in 1887 and re-election in 1890. During this term, he fought against pool selling and gambling in
Long Island City
Long Island City (LIC) is a residential and commercial neighborhood on the extreme western tip of Queens, a borough in New York City. It is bordered by Astoria to the north; the East River to the west; New Calvary Cemetery in Sunnyside to the ...
and had Mayor
Gleason arrested for an assault. In response, Gleason used his influence to ensure Fleming's defeat in the 1893 election.
He also prosecuted officers of the
Western Union Telegraph Company
The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company chang ...
for permitting its wires to be used for illegal enterprises. In 1896, he unsuccessfully ran as the Democratic candidate for the
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...
.
In 1898, Mayor
Van Wyck appointed Fleming Justice of Special Sessions for the Second District. He served as Justice until December 31, 1915, when he retired as Justice after 17 years on the bench.
Fleming was an executive member of the Society of the 19th Army Corps as well as commander
and charter member of the local
Grand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...
post. He was also a founder of the Jamaica Club, a prime mover in preserving
King Manor
King Manor, also known as the Rufus King House, is a historic house at 150th Street and Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. It was the home of Founding Father Rufus King, a signatory of the United States Constitution, New York ...
, and president of the St. Patrick's Society of Queens. He was a member of the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.
Fleming died at home from
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
on April 19, 1918.
References
External links
*
The Political Graveyard'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, John
1842 births
1918 deaths
People from County Monaghan
Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923)
People from Jamaica, Queens
Queens County (New York) District Attorneys
Union Army officers
People of New York (state) in the American Civil War
19th-century American lawyers
19th-century American judges
20th-century American judges
New York (state) Democrats
New York (state) state court judges
Grand Army of the Republic officials
Catholics from New York (state)
Deaths from pneumonia in New York City
Catholic politicians from New York (state)