John Daly (gambler)
John Daly | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1838 Irish-American |
| Occupation(s) | Sportsman and professional gambler |
| Known for | Sportsman, gambler and underworld figure in New York during the late 19th century. |
John Daly (c. 1838 – April 26, 1906) was an American sportsman, professional gambler and underworld figure in New York during the late 19th century. A protégé of
illegal gambling on Broadway and in Midtown Manhattan for over thirty years. He was also among the principal rivals of "Honest" John Kelly
up until the turn of the 20th century and was considered one of the most successful and wealthiest gamblers in New York at the time of his death.
Biography
John Daly was born in
West Twenty-Ninth Street, which became nationally known and one of the most popular spots in the city during the next twenty years.[1][2]
Thoroughbred racing
Daly was also involved in
Suburban Handicap with Ramapo. The firm "Gideon & Daly" established a breeding farm near Red Bank, New Jersey called the "Holmdel Stud", but the property was leased when Daly retired from horse racing. Daly had mixed success in this enterprise, having lost a lot of money on both betting on the races and in the stock market.[1]
John Daly was associated with many political and underworld figures in his lifetime but was reportedly far closer to fellow sportsmen gamblers such as William Busteed, Sam Emery, Davy Johnson, Dinky Davis, and
New York Police Department,[5] which led to his later involvement in the Lexow Committee investigations. Daly was described as "a man of quiet, engaging manners" and regarded as a "generous employer", often continuing to pay his operators and allowing their families to live in his clubhouses even while his clubs were shut down by police raids. He also donated large portions of his income to charities in his later years. He was in ill health for two years prior to his death. Daly's wife died in 1905, and Daly died at his East Fifty-Fourth Street home on the evening of April 26, 1906.[1]
References
- ^ a b c "John Daly, Gambler, Dead.; Wealthiest Man of His Calling in New York -- Noted Horseman Also". The New York Times, 27 April 1906
- ISBN 0-06-074062-0
- ISBN 1-58150-102-1
- ISBN 1-56025-275-8
- ^ Morris, Lloyd R. Incredible New York: High Life and Low Life of the Last Hundred Years. New York: Random House, 1951. (pg. 226)
Further reading
- Asbury, Herbert. Sucker's Progress: An Informal History of Gambling in America from the Colonies to Canfield. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1938.
- Burrows, Edwin G. and Mike Wallace. Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-19-514049-4
- Kroeger, Brooke. Nellie Bly: Daredevil, Reporter, Feminist. New York: Times Books, 1994. ISBN 0-8129-1973-4