The Irish standard., 1896-03-21
Short Sketch Of the Prominent
Ones Bearing That Name
Is I
Here and Elsewhere.
5.E
The Genius of the Family Has
rlade 1t Conspicuous in
Chosen Professions.
One of the Emmets the Nestor of
the New York Bar as Was
O'ConOr Later.

L
! the Broadway front of st. PauFs chapel
without noticing on the Fulton street side
a tall granite shaft presenting bas re-
| lief near its apex of a grand head and
profile and containing near it's base the
sculpture of an American eagle and Of
an Irish harp, separated by marble hands
clasped in friendship, says the New York
Journal.
| The sides Of the shaft contain many
lines of ep;taph. but these after an expo
sure of nearly seventy years, are too oblit-
Grated to be read unless closely approach
ed But the head and epitaph refer to
Thomas Adds Emmet, the elder brother
of the world removed Irish martyr, Rob
ert Emmet, whose 195th birthday ami
versary Irish Americans celebrated on
March 4th at the Cooper Institute.
| The sculptured American eagle and Irish
harp and clasping hands portray the re-
spect which New York felt for Thomas
Adds Emmet when he brought his Irish
! harp of eloquence to the New York bar
under protection of the bird Of freedom
! On the Vesey street front Of St. Paul's
churchyard will be observed also shaft
! to the memory of DR.. William J. Mac
Niyen, who was an Irish conpatr:ot OF the
Emmets, and who also became an exile to
| this country. Eloquent orators on the an
niversary occasion recounted the virtues,
patriotism and brave death Of Robert Elm
met, of whose career few school boys are
! ignorant.
School boys also recall how Robert En-
met, like his older brother, Thomas, could
| have escaped to this country had he not
| fingered to BID farewell to his fancee, The
daughter of the great Irish barrister Cur
ran, whose feminine beauty and tender
ness Thomas Moore in his melodies has
imnloTtalized in his song beginning She
| is far*frOnassttlle land where her young hero.
sleeps" aee..ss. 49,.
Although Americans are so familiar
with the story of Robert Emmet's career,
they, not even New Workers, are familiar
| with that Of his elder brother albeit he
| lived score of years in this city, became
attorney general OF the state and died Of
apoplexy in the city hall court room while
engaged in argument, and lis here buried
and has elegiac shaft at the most crowd
ed corner thoroughfare of this city.
Like his father. Thomas Adds Emmet,
at first with a degree of M. D., embraced
the medical profession, but soon changed
it for that Of the law, and had begun prac--
-tice as barrister in Dublin, when he, too,
became United Ir.shman, Joined his
brother in rebellion, was unsuccessful,
and exiled himself to this country BY way
OF France.
When he arrived he was cordially vel
ccmed by Governor George Clinton. who
was himself Of Irish descent, and by May
OF Cadwallader Golden. BY their efforts,
although an alien, he was admitted to the
New York bar in 1906. upon his papers as
a Dublin barrister. But the lawyers of
the day did not take kindly to him at first
fearing his rivalry, threw impediments
in his way. and went SO far as to induce
the supreme court to pass a rule which ap-
pears in the early volume Of Johnson's re-
ports, forbidding thereafter the adn1is-
sion of an alien. But the influence Of Col
den and Clinton, Enlmet's courtesy and
genialty sympathy for him on account CT
his brotner Roberts recent excel
ton and his wonderful address, eloQueuce
and display Of learning broke down all
barriers OF prejudice and opposition. Jas.
Kent was the chief justice Of the supreme
court, On the road to become chancellor
and write his famed commentaries and he,
by his amenities to Em1net also softened
the asperities to that Emmett also softened
at the bar. AS there was then distinc-
tion as in England between attorney and
advocate, he, as a court pleader, was soon
in receipt of an annual income of 10000,
which, in those days, was equal in pui-
chasing power to three times that sum
now.
How rapid and successful was his rise
may be inferred from the fact that in 1872
he was appointed attorney general by the.
governor and council, and led in all GRIM
inal prosecutions, his Notwithstanding
the degree OF N. D.-of medical jur.spru
deuce in one murder case greatly contrib
Iuting to his success.
He was now we'll established in New
York and Albany Fnickerbocker So
cietv, as we'll as in legal and commercial
circles; but he declined reappointment
as attorney general because it interfered
with his private practice Newspaper
files Of this city during the administra-
ton Of Madison and Monroe show how
busily he was engaged at the bar, espe-
c;ally in admiralty cases growing out of
the naval var, and as q speaker on public
occasions AS the trend of public opin-
ion was then bitter against Great Britain,
he, as one of the oppressed victims of it's
government, became more and more a !
popular favorita.
Mr.. Emmett died soon afterward. He
became an incessant worker and perhaps
did not appreciate the extent Of his men
tai labor, and one day in 1927, while en-
gaged in great argument. a clot OF blood
vas impressed upon his brain and he fell
l,Ione before the bench. bar and audience, /
to their great CONSERVATION. and TO their
great grief when his dissolution was an
nounced. H
Mr.. Enlmets funeral was notable. for [
he was then as much the Nestor Of the /
NeB. York bar as was his Irish successor I
at it Charles C, O,Conor-When he retired /
He left a son and namesaka, who follow I
ed his original profession of medicine
he to, be succeeded by another namesake,l I
4 grandson, in the same ranks. He left /
another son to follow him in the legal
profession to whom he had given the
a. 81 ~ 49, F fs