John William Goff, Sr. (January 1, 1848 – November 9, 1924) was an American lawyer and judge from New York City.

Early life and education

Born in

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

, Ireland, Goff emigrated with his family to the United States while still a child. The family settled in

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 ...

, where Goff worked for ten years as a clerk in a dry goods store while attending night classes at

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...

. In 1865, he took a job as a junior clerk in an attorney's office and eventually was admitted to the bar.

Politics

Ireland

Goff was a committed Irish nationalist and in 1875 he played a prominent part in arranging for the rescue of six Fenian rebels imprisoned in a British penal colony in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. The seaborne expedition, which successfully evaded

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

patrols, involving the

New Bedford New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American pe ...

whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...

''Catalpa'', was popularly known as 'Goff's Irish Rescue Party'.

New York City

In 1888, Goff was appointed as Assistant

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 ...

by D.A.

John R. Fellows John R. Fellows (July 29, 1832 – December 7, 1896) was an American lawyer and politician from Arkansas and New York (state), New York. He served as New York County District Attorney (1888-1890, 1894-1896), and a member of Congress from New Yo ...

. In November 1890, Goff ran on the County Democracy (Anti-Tammany) ticket to succeed Fellows as District Attorney, but was defeated by

Tammany Tamanend (historically also known as Taminent, Tammany, Saint Tammany or King Tammany, "the Affable," ) (–) was the Chief of Chiefs and Chief of the Turtle Clan of the Lenni-Lenape nation in the Delaware Valley signing the Peace Treaty with ...

man

De Lancey Nicoll De Lancey Nicoll (June 24, 1854 – March 31, 1931) was a New York County District Attorney. Early life De Lancey Nicoll was born on Shelter Island on June 24, 1854. He was the son of Solomon Townsend Nicoll (1813–1864) and Charlotte Anne Ni ...

. Goff became involved with work for the Society for the Prevention of Crime. He made the acquaintance of the reforming clergyman

Charles Henry Parkhurst Charles Henry Parkhurst (April 17, 1842 – September 8, 1933) was an American clergyman and social reformer, born in Framingham, Massachusetts. Although scholarly and reserved, he preached two sermons in 1892 in which he attacked the polit ...

and became prominent among the ranks of those critical of vice and

police corruption Police corruption is a form of police misconduct in which law enforcement officers end up breaking their political contract and abuse their power for personal gain. This type of corruption may involve one or a group of officers. Internal police ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. In 1894, Republican boss Thomas Platt, seeking political advantage over his enemies at

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

, arranged for the establishment of the

Lexow Committee Lexow Committee (1894 to 1895) was a major New York State Senate probe into police corruption in New York City. The Lexow Committee inquiry, which took its name from the committee's chairman, State Senator Clarence Lexow, was the widest-ranging ...

to investigate corruption in the

NYPD 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 ...

. Goff was appointed Chief Counsel to the committee. He interrogated corrupt police Commissioner John McClave, the notoriously brutal Inspector

Alexander S. Williams Alexander S. Williams (July 9, 1839 – March 25, 1917) was an American law enforcement officer and police inspector for the New York City Police Department. One of the more colorful yet controversial figures of the NYPD, popularly known as "Clu ...

, and Superintendent

Thomas F. Byrnes Thomas F. Byrnes (June 15, 1842 – May 7, 1910) was an Irish-born American police officer, who served as head of the New York City Police Department detective department from 1880 until 1895, who popularized the terms "rogues' gallery" and " t ...

, the former head of the New York City Detective Bureau noted for giving his prisoners the " third degree." His investigation led to support from several Anti-Tammany organizations for

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...

in October 1894, but Goff declined to run for the office. Instead, he ran on the Anti-Tammany ticket as

Recorder of New York City The Recorder of New York City was a municipal officer of New York City from 1683 until 1907. He was at times a judge of the Court of General Sessions, the Court of Special Sessions, and the New York Court of Common Pleas; Vice-President of the Boar ...

and won.

New York Supreme Court

In 1906, Goff was elected to the (trial-level)

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 ...

on a fusion ticket nominated by Democrats and

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...

Independence League The Independence Party, established as the Independence League, was a short-lived minor American political party sponsored by newspaper publisher and politician William Randolph Hearst in 1906. The organization was the successor to the Municip ...

. Goff remained on the bench until the end of 1918 when he reached the constitutional age limit. George McAneny and Judge Goff LCCN2014696130

In October 1912, Goff presided over the first trial of

Charles Becker Charles Becker (July 26, 1870 – July 30, 1915) was a lieutenant in the New York City Police Department between the 1890s and the 1910s. He is known for the scandal of being tried, convicted, and executed for the first-degree murder of the Man ...

, a police lieutenant charged with arranging the murder of a gambler named

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 ...

. The trial was notable for the extreme speed at which Goff ran the proceedings, which lasted about two weeks. Becker was found guilty, but the verdict was later reversed on the grounds that Goff had heavily favored the prosecution. In a 6 to 1 ruling, The Court of Appeals charged that "haste seemed to become the essence of the trial." Goff was also reprimanded for repeatedly denying the defense's requests for adjournment. When Becker received a re-trial, he was found guilty again. In retirement, Goff lived on a farm in upstate New York, where he raised

heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...

Legacy

Goff was never a learned man — his politely-worded entry in the ''

Dictionary of American Biography The ''Dictionary of American Biography'' was published in New York City by Charles Scribner's Sons under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). History The dictionary was first proposed to the Council in 1920 by h ...

'' admits that "he could never be described as a scholar" – but was widely regarded, among his contemporaries, as the great terror of the

New York City Bar Association The New York City Bar Association (City Bar), founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. Since 1896, the organization, formally known as the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, has been headquartered in a ...

. The criminal lawyer and Assistant District Attorney

Newman Levy Newman Levy (November 30, 1888 – March 22, 1966) was an American lawyer, poet, playwright and essayist. Levy followed his father, well-known criminal attorney Abraham Levy, into law, but also pursued his own dreams of being a writer. Born in Ma ...

described him as "the cruelest, most sadistic judge we have had in New York this century." According to Andy Logan, the chronicler of the Becker case, "distinguished members of the bar at the height of their careers confessed to waking up in their beds in a cold sweat, having heard in nightmares the sound of that low, sibilant voice saying 'Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, ''guilty''!' — a verdict he pronounced, it seemed to them, with joy."Andy Logan. ''Against the Evidence: The Becker-Rosenthal Affair''. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 1970.

References

Sources

''FAVOR J. W. GOFF FOR MAYOR''
in NYT on October 4, 1894
''MR. OTTENDORFER RESIGNS''
in NYT on October 4, 1894
''WILLIAM L. STRONG FOR MAYOR''
in NYT on October 6, 1894
''STRONG!; TAMMANY OVERWHELMED BY A PLURALITY OF ABOUT 50,000''
in NYT on November 7, 1894
''CAREER OF THE RECORDER-ELECT''
in NYT on November 7, 1894
''JUDICIARY TICKET NAMED BY TAMMANY''
in NYT on October 11, 1906