John H. McCunn (November 2, 1820 – July 6, 1872) was an Irish-born American judge, lawyer, and military officer who played a significant role during the American Civil War. He later became embroiled in political corruption and was impeached and removed from office.

Early Life and Career

McCunn was born in Burnally,

Limavady Limavady (; ) is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. Lying east of Derry and southwest of Coleraine, Limavady had a population of 11,279 people at the 2021 Census. In the 40 years between 1 ...

County Londonderry County Londonderry (Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry (), is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, count ...

, Ireland on 2 November 1820 son of William McCunn and Martha attyMcKinley.Ballykelly Church of Ireland baptisms, Co Londonderry He belonged to a poor Irish immigrant family who arrived in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in the 19th century. He worked as a dockhand before training as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

, and eventually becoming a

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

Military Service

When the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

began in 1861 he joined the Union Army as a Captain in the

69th New York Infantry Regiment The 69th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Army. It is from New York City, part of the New York Army National Guard. It is known as the "Fighting Sixty-Ninth", a name said to have been given by Robert E. Lee dur ...

before he recruited the 37th New York Infantry which he commanded as colonel. At war's end he was

brevetted In military terminology, a brevet ( or ) is a warrant which gives commissioned officers a higher military rank as a reward without necessarily conferring the authority and privileges granted by that rank. The promotion would be noted in the of ...

Brigadier General.

Judicial and Political Career

McCunn was a member of the infamous

Tweed Ring William Magear "Boss" Tweed (April 3, 1823 – April 12, 1878) was an American politician most notable for being the political boss of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party's political machine that played a major role in the politics of 19th ...

, which he aided by naturalizing new citizens to boost his election rolls. On one day alone, he naturalized over 2,000 new voters. However, when the scandal was uncovered, he was impeached and removed from his judicial office.

References

“Making An Example of Two Naughty Boys”
at Harpweek May 25, 1872 Frank Bellew
(page 269) Boss Tweed: The Rise and Fall of the Corrupt Pol Who Conceived the Soul of Modern New York By Kenneth D. Ackerman
Published 2005 Carroll & Graf American judges Union army colonels People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Irish emigrants to the United States Irish soldiers in the United States Army 19th-century Irish people 1820 births 1872 deaths Leaders of Tammany Hall 19th-century American judges People from Limavady Lawyers from County Londonderry Military personnel from County Londonderry Impeached United States judges removed from office by state or territorial governments {{US-judge-stub