| Office 1 | Member of the New York State Assembly |
|---|---|
| Constituency 1 | Chemung County |
| Term start 1 | January 1, 1895 |
| Term end 1 | December 31, 1896 |
| Predecessor 1 | Robert P. Bush |
| Successor 1 | John H. Holbert |
| Office 2 | Mayor of Elmira, New York |
| Term start 2 | 1886 |
| Term end 2 | 1888 |
| Predecessor 2 | Charles S. Davison |
| Successor 2 | Henry Flood |
| Office 3 | District Attorney of Chemung County, New York |
| Term start 3 | 1880 |
| Term end 3 | 1885 |
| Predecessor 3 | Jacob Sloat Fassett |
| Successor 4 | Edgar Denton |
| Birth name | John Barry Stanchfield |
| Birth date | March 13, 1855 |
| Birth place | Elmira, New York, US |
| Death date | June 25, 1921 (aged 66) |
| Death place | Islip, New York, US |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery, Elmira, New York, US |
| Party | Democratic |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Spouse | Clara S. Spaulding (m. September 2, 1886) |
| Education |
John Barry Stanchfield (March 13, 1855 – June 25, 1921) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was a prominent litigator and the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 1900.
Life
John B. Stanchfield was born in Elmira, New York, on March 13, 1855, the son of Dr. John K. Stanchfield.[1][2] He graduated from Amherst College in 1876, and from Harvard Law School in 1878. He commenced the practice of law in Elmira in partnership with David B. Hill, later Governor of New York (1885–1891). Afterwards he was a partner in the Elmira law firm of Reynolds, Stanchfield & Collin (named Sayles & Evans since 1945).
Stanchfield was District Attorney of Chemung County from 1880 to 1885; and Mayor of Elmira, New York, from 1886 to 1888. He married Clara S. Spaulding on September 2, 1886, and they had two children.[1][2] He was a member of the New York State Assembly for Chemung Co. in 1895 and 1896; and was Minority Leader in 1896. Afterwards he removed to New York City, and became a partner in the New York City law firm of Chadbourne, Stanchfield & Levy (now Chadbourne & Parke).
In the 1900 New York state election, he ran for Governor of New York, but was defeated by Republican Benjamin B. Odell Jr. In 1903, Stanchfield was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator from New York, but was defeated by the incumbent Republican Thomas C. Platt.
Stanchfield was a delegate to the 1904 and 1912 Democratic National Conventions, and a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1915.
He died of kidney failure at his home in Islip at the age of 66, and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira.[2]
Cases
Shortly after his removal to New York City, he appeared for Richard Albert Canfield and secured the dismissal of an indictment, earning a fee of $30,000.
In 1909, he defended F. Augustus Heinze against accusations of misapplying funds of the Mercantile National Bank, and received a fee of $800,000 after Heinze's acquittal.
He represented the State of New York at the impeachment trial of Governor William Sulzer in 1913, and at the trial of the suspended Socialist assemblymen (Louis Waldman, August Claessens, Charles Solomon) in 1920.[3]
In 1915, he secured the release of Harry Kendall Thaw from the Matteawan State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.[4]
References
- ^ The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. XIV. James T. White & Company. 1910. pp. 360–361. Retrieved 2020-12-17. – via Google Books.
- ^ "J. B. Stanchfield Dies Suddenly At Islip Home". New-York Tribune. 1921-06-26. p. 14. Retrieved 2020-12-17. – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "State Republican Leaders Fear Bad Situation From Trial of Five Socialists". New York Herald. 1920-01-25. p. 19. Retrieved 2020-12-17. – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Court Sets Thaw Free". Atchison Daily Globe. Associated Press. 1915-07-16. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-12-17. – via Newspapers.com.
- "John B. Stanchfield, Lawyer, Dies at 66" in NYT on June 26, 1921
External links
- His gubernatorial campaign button at the Museum of the City of New York
- Political Graveyard (gives wrong year for U.S. Senate election)