John G. Bergen
Encyclopedia
John G. Bergen was an American public servant and New York City Police Commissioner
. A member and treasurer of the Board of Police Commissioners
, he and Thomas Coxon Acton assumed command of the NYPD during the New York Draft Riots
after Superintendent John Kennedy
was injured at the hands of a mob.
on December 4, 1814. Born into one of the few Scandinavia
n families to settle in New Netherland
, he was a descendant of Michael Hans Bergen, one of eight children born to Hans Hansen Bergen
, a native of Bergen, Norway, and his wife Sarah Rapelje
, the first child of European parentage born in New York State. John G. Bergen was one of three sons born to Garrett Bergen who became prominent public servants. His brother Peter Bergen was a noted judge in Brooklyn and Teunis Bergen became a US Congressman from the Second District of New York.
, Bergen was appointed to the Board of Police Commissioners
by Governor Edwin D. Morgan
along with Thomas Coxon Acton and Superintendent John Kennedy
in May 1860. He and Acton took charge of the NYPD when Superintendent Kennedy was severely injured by a mob during an inspection tour. Bergen oversaw the police in Staten Island and Brooklyn while Acton directed police and military forces in Manhattan. Bergen held his post until his death and was reportedly "always prompt, indefatigable and conscientious in the performance of his duties". He was also a strong supporter of the Republican Party
but did not engage the intense political rivalry within the city government at that time.
His funeral, held at the family home, was one of the largest police gatherings in the history of the NYPD. Among those in attendance were Superintendent Kennedy, Commissioners Acton, Benjamin F. Manniere and Joseph S. Bosworth, Inspectors John S. Folk
, James Leonard and George W. Dilks, Precinct Captains Brown, Elanson Wilson, Cornelius Woglom, Francis C. Speight
, Theron S. Copeland, James Powers, John J. Williamson, Enoch Jacobs, George R. Rhodes, Olives B. Leich, Joel Smith and countless sergeants and other officers. The New York Fire Commissioners, Board of Surgeons and other prominent New York citizens, such as Thurlow Weed
, were also present. The services were held by the Dutch Reformed Church
and the eulogy performed by Reverend J.H. Manning and Reverend N.P. Pierce, and Bergen was interred at the family plot at Greenwood Cemetery
.
New York City Police Commissioner
The New York City Police Commissioner is the head of the New York City Police Department, appointed by the Mayor of New York City. Governor Theodore Roosevelt, in one of his final acts before becoming Vice President of the United States in March 1901, signed legislation replacing the Police Board...
. A member and treasurer of the Board of Police Commissioners
New York City Police Commissioner
The New York City Police Commissioner is the head of the New York City Police Department, appointed by the Mayor of New York City. Governor Theodore Roosevelt, in one of his final acts before becoming Vice President of the United States in March 1901, signed legislation replacing the Police Board...
, he and Thomas Coxon Acton assumed command of the NYPD during the New York Draft Riots
New York Draft Riots
The New York City draft riots were violent disturbances in New York City that were the culmination of discontent with new laws passed by Congress to draft men to fight in the ongoing American Civil War. The riots were the largest civil insurrection in American history apart from the Civil War itself...
after Superintendent John Kennedy
John Alexander Kennedy
John Alexander Kennedy was the superintendent of police for New York City.-Biography:He was born in Baltimore, Maryland on August 9, 1803. His father was a native of Ireland who became a teacher in Baltimore. John moved to New York City and worked with his brother...
was injured at the hands of a mob.
Early life
John G. Bergen was born in South BrooklynSouth Brooklyn
South Brooklyn is a region or composite neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, encompassing areas of Cobble Hill, Red Hook, Gowanus, Park Slope, and Boerum Hill. Thus it is roughly encompassed by Brooklyn Community Board 6, which in turn approximates the southern half of the 18th...
on December 4, 1814. Born into one of the few Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n families to settle in New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
, he was a descendant of Michael Hans Bergen, one of eight children born to Hans Hansen Bergen
Hans Hansen Bergen
Hans Hansen Bergen was one of the earliest settlers of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, and one of the few from Scandinavia. He was a native of Bergen, Norway...
, a native of Bergen, Norway, and his wife Sarah Rapelje
Sarah Rapelje
Sarah Rapelje, or Rapelie or Rapalje or Rapalye was the first white female of European parentage born in New Netherland, according to the New Netherland Project, a private effort to document New York's early Dutch history. Rapelje was first married to Norwegian emigrant Hans Hansen Bergen, who...
, the first child of European parentage born in New York State. John G. Bergen was one of three sons born to Garrett Bergen who became prominent public servants. His brother Peter Bergen was a noted judge in Brooklyn and Teunis Bergen became a US Congressman from the Second District of New York.
Career
In 1848, Bergen became supervisor of the Eighth and Ninth Wards in Brooklyn and would again hold the position in 1849 and 1850. In 1854, he was elected to the General Assembly and made supervisor of Brooklyn's Eighth Ward in 1858.Board of Police Commisioners
Upon the establishment of the Metropolitan Police DepartmentNew York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
, Bergen was appointed to the Board of Police Commissioners
New York City Police Commissioner
The New York City Police Commissioner is the head of the New York City Police Department, appointed by the Mayor of New York City. Governor Theodore Roosevelt, in one of his final acts before becoming Vice President of the United States in March 1901, signed legislation replacing the Police Board...
by Governor Edwin D. Morgan
Edwin D. Morgan
Edwin Denison Morgan was the 21st Governor of New York from 1859 to 1862 and served in the United States Senate from 1863 to 1869. He was the first and longest-serving chairman of the Republican National Committee...
along with Thomas Coxon Acton and Superintendent John Kennedy
John Alexander Kennedy
John Alexander Kennedy was the superintendent of police for New York City.-Biography:He was born in Baltimore, Maryland on August 9, 1803. His father was a native of Ireland who became a teacher in Baltimore. John moved to New York City and worked with his brother...
in May 1860. He and Acton took charge of the NYPD when Superintendent Kennedy was severely injured by a mob during an inspection tour. Bergen oversaw the police in Staten Island and Brooklyn while Acton directed police and military forces in Manhattan. Bergen held his post until his death and was reportedly "always prompt, indefatigable and conscientious in the performance of his duties". He was also a strong supporter of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
but did not engage the intense political rivalry within the city government at that time.
Illness and death
Being accustomed to an active life outdoors however, his health suffered during his later years as a result of the time spent at Metropolitan headquarters. His condition gradually worsened and, by 1866, he began complaining of severe indigestion. His digestive organs became rapidly weaker over the next year, but he chose to remain at his post and continued attending meetings with the other commissioners until early July 1867. Confined to his Third Avenue home during his last few days, Bergen died with his family at his side on the evening of July 17, 1867. Police Commissioners Acton and Kennedy were also present and Kennedy later ordered the flags at all precincts lowered at half-mast until his burial.His funeral, held at the family home, was one of the largest police gatherings in the history of the NYPD. Among those in attendance were Superintendent Kennedy, Commissioners Acton, Benjamin F. Manniere and Joseph S. Bosworth, Inspectors John S. Folk
John S. Folk
John S. Folk was an American law enforcement officer in New York City during mid-to late 19th century. A prominent police official during the early years of the Municipal Police Department, Folk served as the first police chief of the Brooklyn Municipal Police from 1851 to 1865, NYPD police...
, James Leonard and George W. Dilks, Precinct Captains Brown, Elanson Wilson, Cornelius Woglom, Francis C. Speight
Francis C. Speight
Francis C. Speight was an American law enforcement officer and police inspector for the New York City Police Department. A noted crimefighter, credited for running out the criminal elements from Manhattan's Eighteenth and Nineteenth Wards in the 1850s, he also took part in the Police Riot of 1857...
, Theron S. Copeland, James Powers, John J. Williamson, Enoch Jacobs, George R. Rhodes, Olives B. Leich, Joel Smith and countless sergeants and other officers. The New York Fire Commissioners, Board of Surgeons and other prominent New York citizens, such as Thurlow Weed
Thurlow Weed
Thurlow Weed was a New York newspaper publisher, politician, and party boss. He was the principal political advisor to the prominent New York politician William H...
, were also present. The services were held by the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
and the eulogy performed by Reverend J.H. Manning and Reverend N.P. Pierce, and Bergen was interred at the family plot at Greenwood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn, Kings County , New York. It was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.-History:...
.
Further reading
- Bernstein, Iver. The New York City Draft Riots: Their Significance for American Society and Politics in the Age of the Civil War. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.
- Cook, Adrian. The Armies of the Streets: The New York City Draft Riots of 1863. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1974.
- Costello, Augustine E. Our Police Protectors: History of the New York Police from the Earliest Period to the Present Time. New York: A.E. Costello, 1885.
- Hickey, John J. Our Police Guardians: History of the Police Department of the City of New York, and the Policing of Same for the Past One Hundred Years. New York: John J. Hickey, 1925.
- McCague, James. The Second Rebellion: The Story of the New York City Draft Riots of 1863. New York: Dial Press, 1968.