The New York herald., 1921-05-16
GEN. GREENE DEAD;
ONCE POLICE HEAD
Commissioner Under Seth
Low Succumbs to Cancer
at Age of II.
THREW OUT GRAFTERS
His Shakeup of the Depart
ment One OF the Most Sen
sational in Citys History.
HAD A STORMY CAREER
Once Accused Of Fostering
Revolutions in Interests Of
Asphalt Concern.
THREW OUT GRAFTERS
HAD 4 STORMY CAREER

Francis vinton Greene. formerly a
Major General nthe United States
Army and Police Commissioner for one
year during the administration of Mayor
Seth Low. died last night at 7.20 o'clock
at his home in s. East Seventy seventh
street He had been iii with cancer for
the last eight months, and during most
Of that time had been unable to leave
his house. When the end came his wife
his son. Warwick. and one OF his daugh-
tiers. Miss Katherine S9rcene, were at his
bedside.
Gen. Green was W idelyknown by rea-
son of his brilliant military career and
his numerous writings on military and
historical subjects. but the old members
OF the New York Police Department re-
member him best as the man who per-
haps caused greater shakeup in the
force than any otNer Commissioner. He
was named head pf the department by
Mayor Seth Low IN 1902, and almost at
once heads began to fall like apples in a
windblown orchard.
The new Commissioner was no re-
spector of persons. He slashed at al,
the heads of various kireaus and de-
parts whom he considered incompetent
and tho list was large. He Is said to
cials during ne first five months of
his administration of the department
thar had been dismissed by other com
Gnissioners any five previous years
Newspaper articles at the time Commits
sioner Greene was IN office credited him
with raising the department to higher
state of efficiency than 1t had enjoyed
under any administration since that OF
Theodore Roosevelt
Ended Graft of Wardmen.
One of the radical changes that Gen.
Greene as Police Commissioner made
in the conduct of the department. which
will be recalled by all the old police
officers. was the abolition Of the ward
men, who had become an institution
and in cases of graft usually acted as
the go between used by the police cap
tain. lieutenant or inspector and the
gambler and owner of dsorderly resorts.
The second day he was in office Com
missioner Greene issued an order send
ing all of the $50 wardmen back to
patrol duty, an dmore than that, trans
ferred them to precincts as far as pos
sible from the one In which they had
been working. At that time he referred
TO them as collectors Of graft for the
police captains. and declared that he
1Htenueu 10 stop sucn practices. one OF
the first things, also. that the new Com
missioner said when he went into office
was that he intended to stop the prac-
tice of captains and lieutenants maxi
ing scapegoAis of roundsmen and patrol
men.
Gen. Greene was born in Providence
II. l., on June 27. 1850, and was edu-
Gated at the United States Military
academy at West Point. graduating first
in class of fifty-eight men in June
1870 His first service was in the artil-
lery. but two years after his graduation
he was transferred to the Engineers
During the four years following this
assignment he was employed as assist
ant astronomer anod surveyor with the
joint commission for the survey and
demarcation of the boundary line be-
tween the United States and British pos
sessione from the Lake OF the Woods to
the Rocky Mountains.
In 1876 he was assigned to special
duty in the office of the Secretary OF
War in Washington, and a year later
was sent abroad by the Government to
observe and report upon the military
opera tions then being undertaken by the
Russians against the Turks. being as
signed as Military Attache TO the United