Charles P. Daly

Charles Patrick Daly (October 13, 1816 – September 19, 1899) was a member of the New York State Assembly, Chief Justice of the New York Court of Common Pleas, president of the American Geographical Society, and an author of several books.

Early life and education The Daly ancestors were the O'Dalys of County Galway, Ireland. In 1814, two years before Daly's birth, his parents immigrated to the U.S. from Omagh, County Tyrone, Ireland. Daly was born in New York City, New York, USA. His father, Michael, had been a master carpenter in Ireland, but in New York City, he worked as the manager of a hotel on Broadway. His mother, Elizabeth, died when Daly was age three. Michael remarried.

Daly attended private school in his early years. Upon his father's death, Daly was unwilling to rely on a widowed stepmother, leading him to leave school and earn a living.

Career He worked first as a clerk in Savannah, Georgia, before becoming a cabin boy on a trading ship. While in office, he staunchly supported the establishment of Central Park against considerable opposition.

The following year, Judge William Inglis' term on the New York Court of Common Pleas expired. On a recommendation of Governor William Marcy, Governor William Bouck appointed Daly to the Court, beginning his term May 1844. One of his most notable cases dealt with the Astor Place Riot involving William Charles Macready at the Astor Place Theatre.

For fifteen years, starting in 1860, he lectured on law at Columbia Law School. to the Governing Board in 1858, and to its presidency in 1864, a position he held until his death in 1899. Daly, a bibliophile, had a personal collection of more than 12,000 volumes.

Other memberships He was an honorary member of the Royal Geographical Society of London, England, the Berlin Geographical Society, and Russia's Imperial Geographical Society.

Daly became a member of the Peary Arctic Club shortly before his death; the Daly Range in Greenland was named after him by Robert Peary.

Personal life Daly met Maria Lydig in 1855. Born in 1824, Maria was the daughter of Philip Mesier Lydig, Esq. (1799–1872) of New York. Her mother, Katherine, was the eldest daughter of John Suydam, a Knickerbocker.

Like Daly, Maria was a Democrat and a Unionist. They married September 27, 1856 in West Farms, Westchester County, New York. At age 37, Maria began writing a diary, published as Diary of a Union lady, 1861-1865. She was active in the Democratic Party, the Women's Central Association for the Relief for the Army,

Death and legacy Like his wife, Daly died in North Haven in 1899, rather than at their home in New York City at 84 Clifton Place. His funeral service was held at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The home in North Haven passed on to Maria's niece, Emma Hoyt. "Daly Avenue", in The Bronx, New York, leads to the Bronx Park Judge Daly Promontory in Ellesmere Island, Canada.

Selected works (1855). Historical sketch of the judicial tribunals of New York from 1623 to 1846, (1860). Naturalization embracing the past history of the subject and the present state of the law, (1862). Are the southern privateersmen pirates?, (1872). Barratry. Its origin, history and meaning, in the maritime laws, (1893). The settlement of Jews in North America, (1896). First theater in America. When was the drama first introduced in America? An inquiry; including a consideration of the objections that have been made to the stage,