The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-25
COL. PARTRIDGE TO
COMMAND POLICE
A Former Leicester Youth Who
Has Been Honored by Seth
Low May Succeed Col. Murphy
in New York

| Col. John N. Partridge, born in
Leicester and of old Massachusetts
Puritan stock is prominently mentioned
to succeed Col Michael Murphy, the
present head Of the New York police
department. There are in Worcester
and his native town many men who re-
member Col. Partridge as mere lad
before the Civil war. Capt. David A.
Matthews of the Worcester police de-
partment knows of Col. Partridge, ana
to The Spy man mentioned many incl
dents in the life of the colonel that
would indicate his fitness for the head
of the New York police department,
Col. Partridge was fire commissioner
and commissioner of police under Seth
Low when the latter was mayor of
Brooklyn. and it is known fact that
Mayor elect Low thinks well of the ex-
ecutive ability of his former police
commissioner. To Worcester people
who know Col. Partridge and have met
him since he settled in New York, the
appointment would be very pleasing.
Yesterday a Worcester man who knows
Col. Partridge said, From what l
know of Col Partridge l should say
if he was appointed to the position he
would deal with the social evil problem
in a common sense way. He comes of
old Massachusetts Puritanical stock.
but has none of the intolerant notions
of his forefathers."
Col. Partridge is "a years old. He has
occasional attacks of dyspepsia and has
to diet himself, but rather oddly this
ailment has never affected his temper.
He is invariably good-humored and APP
proachable. He was born in Leicester,
and went to Boston before he was of
age. He was fond of military mat
tiers while in his teens and Joined an
/ Independent organization called the
New England Guard.
When the Civil war began he enlisted
in the Second Battalion, Massachusetts,
Volunteer Militia, and in September,
1861, was commissioned first lieutenant
of the Twenty Fourth Massachusetts,.
With the latter he went to the front
and was in active service until Sep
TENDER 1864, when he was honorably
discharged because of wounds. He was
appointed captain in February, 1864, and
three months later was shot in the
head while leading his company in the
assault on Fort Darling.
Col Partridge settled In Brooklyn af-
ter leaving the army. He joined the
Twenty Third regiment, N. Y n. G., in
1903 as lleuIGIldlll anu lOoC " lllC am
of colonel in 1880 This position he re-
signed in 1882 when he was appointed
commissioner of the fire department of
Brooklyn by Seth Low, who was then
beginning his first term as mayor.
Prior to that Col. Partridge had been
for many years managing clerk in the
warehouse business of Woodruff &
Robinson. the woodruff in this firm be-
ing an uncle of Lieut.-Gov. Woodruff.
| In 1884 Mayor Low took Col. Par
fridge out of the fire department and
made him commissioner of police.
! Col Partridge is an independent Re-
publican of the same type as Seth Low.
! He is slightly above the medium
height, clean cut and soldierly in man
ner. His friends say he is worth less
than 100000. He has been a widower
many years. He belongs to the Hamil-
ton, Crescent, Montauk and Riding and
Driving Clubs, and is a member of the
Loyal Legion. He was president of the
Long Island Good Roads Association,
and is fond of horses.