Lewis Cochran Cassidy (October 17, 1829November 18, 1889) was an American lawyer and politician from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

who served as Attorney General of Pennsylvania from 1883 to 1887.

Life and career

Cassidy was born in New York City, the child of Irish immigrants. The family moved to Philadelphia shortly afterwards. His father died when he was ten. Cassidy attended Central High. Upon graduating, he studied law in the offices of Benjamin H. Brewster, and was admitted to the bar in 1849. He was immediately successful, and proved popular with the Moyamensing Hose Company,After the 1844 riots, the local fire companies typically allied with ethnic street gangs and corrupted local politics () and was elected to the state House for the 1851 term. In 1852, Cassidy was elected Solicitor for the District of Moyamensing. By 1856, Cassidy was already considered a local

political boss In politics, a boss is a person who controls a faction or local branch of a political party. They do not necessarily hold public office themselves; most historical bosses did not, at least during the times of their greatest influence. Numerous of ...

, and his influence helped elect

Richard Vaux Richard Vaux (December 19, 1816 – March 22, 1895) was an American politician. He was mayor of Philadelphia and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Early life and education Richard Vaux was born in Philadelphia, P ...

city mayor. He himself ran for District Attorney against William B. Mann, originally winning and inducted into office, but later losing after a judge ruled for Mann. During the Civil War and afterwards, he was a staunch supporter of Union and federal coercion. He became a local leader of Democratic party politics. His support helped Robert E. Pattison become Governor—the state's only Democratic governor between the Civil War and the Great Depression—and Pattison in turn appointed Cassidy state Attorney General. Lewis C

Cassidy's wife died in the last year of his term. At the completion of his term, Cassidy returned to private practice. He died in 1889, and was buried in

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

Legacy

The Lewis C. Cassidy School in Philadelphia was named after him. Singer

Eva Cassidy Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 – November 2, 1996) was an American singer and guitarist known for her interpretations of jazz, folk, and blues music, sung with a powerful, emotive soprano voice. In 1992, she released her first album ...

is his 2nd great-granddaughter.

Notes

Citations

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cassidy, Lewis Cochran 1829 births 1889 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians American people of Irish descent American political bosses from Pennsylvania Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Central High School (Philadelphia) alumni Lawyers from New York City Lawyers from Philadelphia Pennsylvania Attorneys General Pennsylvania Democrats Politicians from New York City Politicians from Philadelphia

External links

Lewis C. Cassidy Academics Plus School Website