Case Name: The People of the State of New York ex rel. Mathew McAvoy, Appellant, v. The School Board for the Borough of Richmond, City of New York, Respondent
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1899
Citations: 43 A.D. 613
Docket Number: 
Parties: The People of the State of New York ex rel. Mathew McAvoy, Appellant, v. The School Board for the Borough of Richmond, City of New York, Respondent.
Judges: 
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 43
Pages: 613–614

Head Matter:
The People of the State of New York ex rel. Mathew McAvoy, Appellant, v. The School Board for the Borough of Richmond, City of New York, Respondent.
Civil service—a, veteran, a janitor of a union free school, is not protected from discharge by chapter 831, Laws of 1896.
A veteran, who has served as janitor of a union free school, is not within the protection of chapter 831 of the Laws of 1896, amending chapter 716 of the Laws of 1891, which provides that honorably-discharged Union soldiers shall not he discharged from certain public employments without a hearing upon -charges preferred.
Appeal by the relator, Mathew McAvoy, from a judgment of the Supreme Court in favor of the defendant, entered in the office of the clerk of the county of Richmond on the 25th day of February, 1899, upon the decision of the court rendered after a trial at the Kings County Special Term dismissing an alternative writ of mandamus, issued on the application of the relator to Secure his reinstatement as janitor of the Rosebank School of Richmond county.
Sixt Carl Kapff, for the appellant.
William J. Carr, for the respondent.

Opinion:
Per Curiam:
The only question involved in this appeal is one of law, and we are of opinion that the learned trial court has correctly determined the matter by dismissing the alternative writ of mandamus.
The relator was the janitor of the Rosebank School, which is a union free school, and he is conceded to have been an honorably-discharged Union soldier. The question before the court on this .appeal is whether the relator, as such janitor, was within the protection of chapter 821 of the Laws of 1896, amending chapter 716 of the Laws of 1894, which requires that honorably-discharged Union soldiers shall not be discharged from certain public employments without a hearing upon charges preferred. The learned trial court found the facts in accord with the contentions of the relator, but decided as a matter of law that he was not within the protection of the statute, and that his discharge from the position of janitor was within the discretion of the officers of the school district. The case of People ex rel. Burlingame v. Hayward (19 App. Div. 46) seems to us decisive upon this point.
The judgment appealed from should be affirmed, with costs.
All concurred.
Judgment affirmed, with costs. This decision renders application for substitution unnecessary, unless the applicant wishes to continue the litigation, in which case his application may be made at Special Term.