John R. Brady
| John R. Brady | |
|---|---|
 Judge John R. Brady | |
| Justice of the New York Supreme Court | |
|
In office 1873–1891 |
John R. Brady (March 9, 1822 – March 16, 1891)[1] was an American judge, a Justice of the New York Supreme Court, and best known for administering the presidential oath of office to Chester A. Arthur.
Life and career
John Riker Brady was born in New York City in 1821, the son of Thomas S. Brady, an immigrant from Ireland who became an attorney and judge. John R. Brady studied law with his father and became an attorney. A Democrat, he served as a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas beginning in 1856, and was a New York Supreme Court Justice from 1873 until his death. A highly regarded jurist, he was frequently reelected with support from both Democrats and Republicans.[2]
Brady died in New York City on March 16, 1891. He was buried at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral.
Inauguration of Chester Alan Arthur
President James A. Garfield died over two months after he was shot by an assassin, Charles Guiteau. Arthur, then Vice President, became President.
Arthur was at home around midnight on the night of September 19 1881 with Police Commissioner Stephen B. French, District Attorney Daniel G. Rollins, and attorney Elihu Root, when he learned in a telegram from members of Garfield's cabinet that Garfield had died. The cabinet members wired Arthur their advice that he should “take the oath of office as president of the United States without delay.”
It was after midnight when Arthur and his guests dispatched messengers to locate a judge who could administer the presidential oath. The first jurist who could be located in the early morning hours of September 20 was Brady. At about 2 A.M. Brady administered the oath of office to Arthur in Arthur's private apartment at 123 Lexington Avenue in New York City. After traveling to Washington, D.C., Arthur was inaugurated again two days later by Chief Justice of the United States Morrison R. Waite in a public Capitol Hill ceremony.
A three-quarter length seated portrait of Brady was painted in 1889 by the Swiss-born American artist Adolfo Müller-Ury (1862–1947). The New York Tribune, March 13, 1889 commented on this picture that '...The oil painting is an admirable work of art and a striking likeness of the original.' The Rev. Dr. Thomas J. Ducey, of St. Leo’s Roman Catholic Church, apparently presented the portrait to the American Bar Association.
See also
References
External links
Category:Burials at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral