The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-05-06
HON. JAMES GALLAGHER
HIS SUDDEN DEATH ON 4 STREET
 CAR YESIERDAY AFTERNOON.

Caused by Heart Disease-A Well Known
 and Highly Respected old Citizen
 Formerly a Prominent Democratic PoIi-
 tician-His Health Had Been Good and
 His Death Was Wholly Unexpected.
 Hon. James Gallagher, an old promi- nent citizen of New Haven, suddenly expired before o'clock yesterday af- ternoon on board Morris Cove street car on the State street line near the corner of Orange and Elm streets, death having been caused by heart disease. Mr. Gallagher had just boarded a car at the green, bound for his summer cottage at Morris Cove, to which he had removed about week ago. The car was well filled at the time, and after boarding the car he took seat near the rear and became engaged in con- versation with Conductor Frank Turn CT, When the corner of Elm and Or ange streets was reach MT. Turner had just turned his head for moment when | suddenly MT Gallagher gave a convul- sive shudder and began to fall side ways. He did not fall to the floor Two men sitting near supported him and the car was at once stopped.
 Hon. James M. Townsend, who chanced to be looking out of the win | dow of the Parker Paper companys of | flee on Elm street, saw that MT. Gal | lagher was i'll and hastened to Dr. c. | A. Lindsley's office, which is close by. | Dr. Lindsley was at home and went to the car and endeavored for several min- | utes to resuscitate MT. Gallagher Dr. | Gaynor in two or three minutes arrived and assisted Dr. Lindsley, but all ef | forts were to no avail. MT. Gallagher was dead His body was then convey | ed to the office of the Imperial Granum company next door to the Parker office and Medical Examiner White was at once summoned and decided that death was caused by heart disease. MT. Gal | lagher never spoke after he was strick- | en.
 J. Walter Gallagher, a grandson of | the deceased, was the first one of the | family to reach the scene, and soon af- forwards his father, James Gallagher, jr., arrived The latter, who was greatly overcome, said his father had never to his knowledge suffered from 1 hearth disease.
 The body was removed to Mr. Gal | laghers late residence on University Place.
 | The deceased gentleman suffered somewhat from rheumatism late in the winter and went south for several weeks. On his return he was much I improved in health. MT. Gallagher leaves three sons, John Currier Gal lagher, who was in Boston at the time of his fathers death; James Gallagher, jr., os this city, and Dr. Frank Gal lagher, who lives in California. The latter was notified by telegraph last night of his fathers death. MT. Galla- gher also leaves brother, Hugh, who lives in Baltimore and who has been i'll for several months from the effects of a shock of paralysis.
 The deceased was born in Baltimore | in 1920 He entered upon active life with scarcely any education and became a cigar maker, afterwards engaging in l the general business of tobacconist, from which he retired in 1866 with a. | fair competency. He entered political | life early, and it was not long after his coming to New Haven in 1S43 that he received from the late Ralph l. h. gersoll the sobriquet, of "The Talented Young Irishman.' He was inspector of customs in 1853, holding office until 1859. He was an ardent friend of Stephen A. | Douglas and was the leader of the Con- necticut delegation to the democratic national convention at Charleston in 1860 and at the adjourned convention held at Baltimore, which nominated MT. Douglas for the presidency.
 He represented New Haven in the lower branch of the legislature in 1861, | 1863 and 1878, and in the senate in 1867 and 1S6S MT. Gallagher introduced in- l to the democratic state convention of 1867 resolution pledging the party to support what afterwards became known as the "eight-hour law" While in the senate during that year he pre- ser ted a bill providing that eight hours should constitute legal days work and it was mainly through his efforts that the law was enacted, which is still | among our statutes. In 1884 he was appointed by Governor Waller as chair man of the state board of charities, which position he held up to the time of his death.
 1 MT. Gallagher had always been a sin cere member of the democratic party and one of it's most able supporters. He possessed rare talent for public speaking, and stumped the state in al- most every contested election for thir- | ty-five years.
 He was chairman of the democratic state committee from 1865 to 1870, and | it was under his direction that the democrats carried the state in 1867 for the first time in many years. When | Governor Waller was nominated in 1882 | the democratic state committee again chose Mir Gallagher as it's chairman. 1 The two previous campaigns had re- suited in the successive defeats of Gov ernor Hubbard and Governor English, but this time the democrats were vic- | torious.
 In 1884 he was reelected chairman of the state committee, and under his leadership his party was again success full
 MT. Gallagher had long been an act i've and practical temperance man and l often gave his personal efforts on the platform and elsewhere for the promo l tion of the cause. His intimate ac- quaintance with state affairs and his facility in debate enabled him to in 1 struct as well as entertain.