John J. Scannell

John Jay Scannell (1841 – March 5, 1918) was a Tammany Hall politician who was the leader of the Eleventh Assembly District. However, John J. Scannell had already shot and killed Thomas Donahue in revenge for the killing of his brother in 1872. He was arrested and was acquitted on the grounds of emotional insanity. He was appointed the 1st Fire Commissioner of the Consolidated City of New York by Tammany Hall Mayor Robert A. Van Wyck on January 1, 1898. He served in that position until the end of the Van Wyck Administration on December 31, 1901. In 1901 he was indicted for being involved in a kickback scheme for the purchasing of supplies by the New York City Fire Department.

Personal life He was married to Ophelia Scannell (1845–1883). Together, they were the parents of:

Florence Scannell (1873–1878), who died young. Clark Scannell (1877–1883), who also died young.

By 1902 he bought a farm on Newburgh, New York. He later purchased Chateau Ophelia in Saratoga Springs, New York, for $53,000.

He died on March 5, 1918, of pneumonia at St. Mary's Hospital in Queens, New York.