KENNEDY, JOHN A. 



KENTUCKY. 



Establishing heraclf in New York, she 1 

 the publication ut' a Fine- Art Journal, which, 

 however, did not meet with distinguished suc- 

 uiidiictcd it, nevertheless, for some 

 time. Though she bad announced her retire- 

 ment from the stage, the fascinations of the 

 foot-lights were too strong for her, and she re- 

 turned to her art, but it was for a brief period. 

 Consuiniition, which had seized upon her a 

 long time before, had made such inroads upon 

 ust it lit ion. t hat lu-r i reugth was not equal 

 t.' the work. As nn actress Miss Keene ex- 

 celled in comedy ; she was sympathetic in her 

 expression, and in the parts she assumed rare- 

 ly tailed to enlist the sympathies of her audi- 

 ence. 



KENNEDY, Jomr A., a prominent official 

 of New York City, collector of assessments, 

 and, for ten years, Superintendent of Police, 

 born in Baltimore, Md., August 9, 1803; died 

 in New York City, June 20, 1878. His fa- 

 tlu-r was from the north of Ireland, nnd had 

 been lor many years a teacher in Baltimore. 

 He received a pood education, nnd came to 

 New York while still n young man. In that 

 city ho established with his brother a store for 

 the s-ilc of pointers' supplies, and, though not 

 very successful in mercantile pursuits, he en- 

 tered with grent zeal into politics, nnd was an 

 active member of the Tammany Society. In 

 1849 he was appointed a Commissioner of Emi- 

 gration, nnd. immediately upon assuming his 

 official duties, he made war upon the hordes 

 of swindlers who had long preyed upon the 

 immigrant*, who. in those days, made the trans- 

 atlantic voyage almost exclusively in sniling- 

 vessels. In 1854 he was elected a member of 

 the Common Council on tin- Free-Soil ticket, 

 having become identified with that party after 

 the division between the "Barnburners" and 

 the "Hunkers." Subsequently, he was ap- 

 pointed superintendent of Castle Garden. 

 when the city acquired that historic place tor 

 the reception of immigrants. Reserved in this 

 capacity during several years, and meanwhile 

 continued energetically hi* efforts for the 

 protection of immigrants against swindlers. 

 In 1858 he was one of twelve superiors 

 elected on a general ticket under the charter 

 of 1857. Serving in this position during 1868 

 and 1859, he resigned in 1800 to become Su- 

 perintendent of the Metropolitan roller, in 

 place of Amos Pillsbury, and ho was the third 

 and last superintendent of that body, which 

 was superseded by the present Municipal Po- 

 lice. Assuming the duties of his new and im- 

 portant position, on June 1, ISiiO. he became 

 very conspicuous by reason of his combative- 

 new and strong self-will. During the draft 

 rioto he waa aercrely beaten by n mob, while 

 he wa protecting the office of the provost- 

 manhal, at Third Avenue and Forty-sixth 

 t, on the morning of July 14, 1868. Ho 

 had marched to the office of the provost-mar- 

 hal at the head of a body of officers "'"' 

 while stationing his men, he became separated 



fr.m them, and found himself suddenly sur- 

 rounded by infuriated rioters, who dr:i 

 him into a vacant lot and beat and kicked him 

 i>rutally. Before he could be rescued by 

 his officers, he had been so badly injured that 

 he was utterly incapacitated for active duty 

 for several months, during which Thomas O. 

 Act. in. then president of the Board of Police 

 Commissioners, assumed the duties of O'-ting 

 superintendent. During his maltreatment by 

 the mob, Superintendent Kennedy received a 

 severe lacerated wound of the leg, which crip- 

 pled him permanently, and, never liealing, 

 waa a constant source of pain and discomfort. 

 Upon returning to duty he was appointed Pro- 

 vost-Marshal of New York City, as well as 

 superintendent of police, and he continued to 

 serve in this double capacity during the civil 

 war. Among the liquor-dealers he acquired 

 many bitter enemies through his zealous ef- 

 forts to enforce the Metropolitan Excise I^aw 

 in its most restrictive provisions. While thus 

 engaged, he was served with n remarkably 

 large number of injunctions restraining him 

 from interference with liquor-dealers who had 

 failed to comply with the law as construed 

 by himself nnd the commissioners of excise. 

 In 1867, however, the Court of Appeals hav- 

 ing declared the excise law constitutional, he 

 continued its enforcement with renewed rigor, 

 and, it is said, could seldom be prevailed upon 

 to listen to complaints of any kind made by 

 liquor-dealers against officers of the Metropoli- 

 tan Police. He was, however, a strict disci- 

 plinarian, though he was always ready to sus- 

 tain his officers with all his power against 

 injusitce. His strong self-will and persistency 

 in interpreting criminal laws according to his 

 own ideas involved him in many disputes 

 with judges and police justices, but. with tho 

 powerful influence wielded by him, he almost 

 invariably succeeded in overcoming all ob- 

 stacles to his plans. Upon the repeal of the 

 Metropolitan Police Law, ho resigned his posi- 

 tion on April 11, 1870, after having served for 

 ten years, and wns succeeded, on the 16th of 

 the same month, by John Jourdan, deceased, 

 who was the first superintendent of the present 

 Municipal Police. Upon his retirement from 

 the Police Department, ex -Superintendent 

 Kennedy was chosen president of the Avenue 

 C Railroad Company, and remained in that 

 position for about two years, when he was ap- 

 pointed collector of assessments, in which ca- 

 pacity he served till his death. His death 

 from heart-disease was believed to hove been 

 indirectly the result of the terrible injuries he 



v.-d from the mob ten years before. 

 KENTUCKY. The session of the Legisla- 

 ture of Kentucky which began in December, 

 1872, continued, after a recess for the Christ- 

 inas holidays, until tho 22d of April. It was 

 greatly prolonged by the consideration of the 

 '"lie of revised statutes which had been sub- 

 mitted by the commissioners appointed for 

 that purpose. It was ultimately adopted. 



