James Truesdell Kilbreth

James Truesdell Kilbreth (March 12, 1841 – June 23, 1897) was a lawyer, judge and political figure who served as Collector of the Port of New York, an important federal government post in pre-Sixteenth Amendment times, when customs duties and excise taxes were the primary sources of US federal government revenue.

Early years and education Kilbreth was born on the 12 March 1841 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He received a "rudimentary education in the public schools of that city" before attending Harvard University, graduating in 1862. Robert Todd Lincoln was a classmate. He later graduated from Harvard Law School before moving to New York to practice law.

Legal career Joining the firm of Evart, Southmayd and Choate, Kilbreth pursued a career in commercial law. He was a member of the Democratic party, and was prominent in the municipal reform movement following the scandals surrounding William M. Tweed. He was a member of the Irving Hall faction within the Democratic party in New York State, later joining the County Democracy, where he was a friend and consistent supporter of Grover Cleveland.

In 1873, Kilbreth was appointed to a ten-year term as a New York Police Justice by Mayor Havemeyer. However, this appointment was delayed by a political showdown between Mayor and Aldermen: the Port of New York was therefore the single most important source of federal government income. These factors led the office of Collector of the Port of New York to be described as "the prize plum of Federal patronage not only in this State but perhaps in the country, outside of positions in the Cabinet." The New York Times reported that the choice of Kilbreth "threw the few politicians remaining on the city into a fever of excitement". The appointment was plainly a message from the President that Tammany Hall was no longer the influence it was: Stranahan received a refund in the sum of $8,821.44 from the federal government, having personally settled the entire amount of the fraud.

Personal life In 1872, Kilbreth married Eugenie Oudin, a widow. Her brother was Felix Agnus, and one of her six sons by her first marriage was Eugene Oudin the tenor. James T. Kilbreth died of pneumonia at his summer house in Southampton, New York, on 23 June 1897, and was buried in Southampton Cemetery.

The obituary written for him by his Clubmates at the Century Association reads as follows: