John Croak (October 25, 1846 – August 31, 1930) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge from New York.

Life

Croak was born on October 25, 1846, in Elm Park, Staten Island, New York, the son of Irish immigrant Thomas Croak and Ann Murphy. When Croak was young, he began studying law in the office of S. E. Church of

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 ...

, followed by Brown & Estes in Manhattan. He attended and graduated from

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and has an affiliation agreement with University at A ...

, where he was a classmate of future President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

. He was admitted to the bar in 1867, and in 1870 he began practicing law in New York City. For twenty years, he had an office on 229 Broadway, where the

Woolworth Building The Woolworth Building is an early skyscraper, early American skyscraper designed by architect Cass Gilbert located at 233 Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was the tallest building in ...

was later built. He also served as a counsel to the police commissioner and various public boards. Croak served two terms as

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

. In 1890, he was elected to the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, representing Richmond County. He served in the Assembly in 1891. In 1898, when New York City was consolidated, Mayor Van Wyck appointed him the first city magistrate of Staten Island. He served as magistrate until 1920, when he retired. He was an active member of the Democratic Party, serving as first lieutenant to

Nicholas Muller Nicholas Muller (November 15, 1836 – December 12, 1917) was an American banker and politician who served four different stints as a United States representative from New York during the late 19th and early 20th century. In all, he served five ...

, the head of the Democratic Party in Staten Island. Croak attended St. Mary's Church in Port Richmond. He was a member of the New York Law Institute, the

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice ...

, Richmond County Bar Association, and the State Fireman's Home. In 1872, Croak married Sarah McCoy. Their four children were Irving F., William T., John E., and Fred. William was himself a lawyer, assemblyman, and city magistrate. Croak died at home in Port Richmond on August 31, 1930. He was buried in St. Mary's Church Cemetery.

References

External links

John Croak
at ''

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'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Croak, John 1846 births 1930 deaths American people of Irish descent Richmond County District Attorneys Politicians from Staten Island Albany Law School alumni 19th-century American lawyers Lawyers from New York City 19th-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly 19th-century American judges 20th-century American judges New York (state) state court judges Catholics from New York (state) Burials in New York (state)