George W. McClusky
George W. McClusky | |
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Roland B. Molineux |
George W. McClusky or McCluskey (1861 – December 17, 1912) was an American law enforcement officer and
Biography
Early life and police career
Born in New York City, George McClusky joined the New York City Police Department as a patrolman in 1882. He rose more slowly in rank than many of his peers, becoming a roundsman in 1895, then sergeant and police captain within the next two years. When Theodore Roosevelt was appointed head of the Board of Police Commissioners, McClusky was reassigned as a patrolman. His rank would rise and fall more than any other officer in his 30 years on the police force. Indeed, he soon regained his former rank under Mayor William Strong and was considered one of the rising stars in the NYPD during the 1890s.[1]
McClusky was considered an ideal undercover detective as his clothes and "aristocratic" manner provided him with an excellent cover. He was credited for a number of high-profile arrests during his early career as a police detective. Among these was the capture of the confidence man John McDermott whom he pursued through Europe until finally tracking him down at New York's popular Delmonico's on May 28, 1890. McDermott was dining with Sir Robert Peel and Viscount Clifford Talbot, having befriended them on his return voyage to the United States, when McClusky confronted the trickster. An altercation then occurred, the English noblemen angered at McClusky's accusations towards their friend, however McClusky was able to convince the men of McDermott's intentions and prevented them from becoming another of his victims.[1] A protégé of Police Inspector Thomas F. Byrnes, McClusky accompanied Byrnes when he investigated the attempted murder of financier Russell Sage in 1891.[2]
"Chesty" George and the NYPD Detective's Bureau
In 1897, McClusky was made chief of the NYPD Detective's Bureau. Through evidence largely collected by himself, he was able to arrest murderer
Following this, Devery was quoted as saying "I'll put a man in charge of the Detective's Bureau that people can talk to. McClusky is too chesty to be of any use. "Chesty" George, that's what he is". This was in reference both to his "manly" appearance as well as his familiar "dandy"-style of dress and the nickname would remain with him throughout his career. One summer evening, he visited the Hotel Knickerbocker wearing "a straw hat of a colored check pattern with a six-inch brim". A hat designer who was also in the hotel took a sketch of the hat and had his firm manufacturing them. A few days later, McClusky allegedly saw his hat in a Broadway store under a sign which read "Step in and buy a Merry Widow. The kind wore by Inspector McClusky, the swellest cop in the world".[1]
Two years later, McClusky became a police inspector and assigned to the Fifth District by Commissioner
He later marched the Morellos through the streets of
The mafiosi, however, received a sympathetic response from the large crowd which had gathered. A movement in the crowd caused detectives to believe a rescue attempt was being made to free the prisoners and police "broke up the crowd ... knocking down some men and boys". Flynn criticized McClusky's recklessness, noting the mobsters now had time to "get their stories straight", however the NYPD had brought significant attention to organized crime in New York. Vito Cascio Ferro fled from the city, living in New Orleans for a time, before returning to Sicily where he resided as a powerful figure in the Mafia for several decades.[3]
On May 20, 1904 McCluskey came upon a vaudeville performer named
McCluskey's return lasted only a short while and he was removed once more in 1905 when
McCluskey was present when the survivors of the Titanic were received by Mayor
Death
In late 1912, McClusky became mysteriously ill while in charge of the Fourteenth Inspection District. It was first believed he had become sick with
He finally died at his West Seventeenth Street home on the night of December 17, 1912. His three sisters Mary, Margaret and Ida McClusky were with him at the time of his death. The latter two sisters were unmarried and still lived with McClusky. Mgr. Matthew A. Taylor of the Church of Blessed Sacrament was also in attendance to administer
Although his last wishes were to have a small and quiet ceremony with no oration, the large attendance and number of floral tributes made the service more elaborate than was intended. Among those present at the funeral included Chief Inspector
References
- ^ New York Times. December 12, 1912. Retrieved 2010-03-27.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8050-6737-8
- ^ ISBN 0-8050-7798-7
- ^ ""May 20, 1904 letter from William McAdoo, Police Commissioner of New York, to Theodore Roosevelt"". Theodore Roosevelt Center. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ISBN 0-9644610-1-3
- ^ "Inspector McClusky Buried; Police Officials Attend Services at Church of Blessed Sacrament". New York Times. 21 December 1912
Further reading
- Costello, Augustine E. Our Police Protectors: History of the New York Police from the Earliest Period to the Present Time. New York: A.E. Costello, 1885.
- Friedland, Martin. The Death of Old Man Rice: A True Story of Criminal Justice in America. New York: New York University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-8147-2659-3
- Schechter, Harold. The Devil's Gentleman: Privilege, Poison, and the Trial that Ushered in the Twentieth Century. New York: Ballantine Books, 2007. ISBN 0-345-47679-4