Pat Hearne
Encyclopedia
Patrick L. "Pat" Hearne, also spelled Hern, Hearn or Herne, (died July 4, 1859) was an American
gambler, sportsman and underworld figure in New York City
during the mid-19th century. He was the first man, along with fellow gambler Henry Colton, to open "first-class" casinos in the city during the 1830s. His self-named resort in lower Broadway
was especially popular in the years prior to the American Civil War
and regarded in the city as "perhaps the most famous gambler of the era".
and whose his father was a respected solicitor. One of his sisters married a Colonel Williams, a highly distinguished British officer who served in the Crimean War
, while another became a nun
in a Roman Catholic convent
. He and two of his brothers eventually emigrated to United States where one, a judge, served as a prominent member of the New York bar.
After graduating with a bachelor of arts
from Dublin University, Hearne left Ireland for Canada
where there were then plenty of positions open to young men hoping to practice law. Hearne was unable to find work, however, and moved to New York City
where he eventually "found himself penniless at the old City Hotel". On his first day in the city, while walking down Broadway
, he ran into an old friend from Dublin. His friend advised him to go to New Orleans, where large groups of Irish immigrants were settling, and loaned him some money to get him as far as Baltimore
. Once there, he left his trunk behind and proceeded on foot to the nearest reachable point on the Mississippi River
. He walked a distance of several hundred miles and, coming across the first riverboat, he was able to convince its captain that while he could not pay for passage he would pay him his fee once he was able to find employment. The captain, "struck by his good address and pleading presence", agreed to his request.
While working for the casino, he became a favorite to many of its wealthy patrons who "having received a good education, and being a man of polished manners, with a social and genial disposition, and having, withal, a large stock of rollickling Irish humor, he commended himself to all with whom he came in contact, and those fond of play and fast living found in Pat Herne a congenial companion". He was able to get several to invest in a bank on his own account in Louisville, Kentucky
.
was among the places where gambling emerged and, within a few short years, succeeded New Orleans as the country's gaming capitol. It was Pat Hearne, along with Henry Colton, who opened the city's earliest "first-class" casinos during this period. Their success encouraged more gamblers to flock to New York over the next decade allowing the development of future gambling and vice districts.
In 1840, Hearne "fitted up" and opened a suite of apartments on Barclay Street which became the city's first skinning house
". He used the apartments to entertain patrons with "bird" style dinners who were then "braced" to pay the expense. The most successful of Hearne's ventures, however, was his self-named gambling resort, opposite the Metropolitan Hotel
, in lower Broadway
; according to rumor he made as much as $15,000 or $20,000 a night. His gambling operations were compared to those of John Morrissey
in Saratoga
in later years. He became "a very celebrated character in New York" during the 1840s and 50s, being among the sportsmen and gambling empresarios who "rubbed elbows" with many celebrities, literary figures and politicians of the day, and was one of the first prominent sportsmen to emerge in the city including Isaiah Rynders
, prizefighters Yankee Sullivan
and Tom Hyer
, and minstrel Dan Bryant.
Pat Hearne, according to one article by the New York Tribune
, won "not less than half a million dollars" at his Broadway casino, but he "loved to play for its own sake”; He was so much of a gambler, in fact, that he lost his house's take more than once, and eventually the gambling-house itself. Eventually, New York too began to go after certain gambling operations as well. A number of gamblers, such as faro dealers
, had their establishments sized by authorities and tried by police magistrates at the Court of General Sessions. None of the cases ever went to a conviction with the single exception of a complaint against Pat Hearne.
In early 1855, Hearne was apprehended and taken to the Eighth Ward Station-House, where he was detained for the night. Earlier that year, theologian Henry James, Sr. had found his brother John was deeply in debt to Hearne, whom he called the "barracuda of New York gamblers", and who owed Hearne approximately $2,124 at the time of his death. James began writing a series anti-gambling columns for the New York Tribune in which he referred to Hearne and other gamblers as "social vermin". James was also upset that Hearne's gambling resort was located next door to John Jacob Astor
's old mansion at 685 Broadway. James, whose father had been a close friend of Astor, asked readers what Astor would have thought if he knew that a "social pest house sat next to his honest mansion". Hearne, at one point, actually purchased the mansion before it was sold to the Buckleys who converted it into their opera house
. Then recently elected Mayor of New York Fernando Wood
showed little interest in reform or cleaning up the vice districts and Hearne continued to run his establishment. Henry James left New York that same year. His biographer Alfred Habegger believed this may have been due to threats of retaliation from the New York underworld.
Hearne was eventually arrested in another gambling raid the following year and, this time, gained his release only after promising to close his gambling resort for good. His release was arraigned by his lawyer Daniel Sickles
.
the next day.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
gambler, sportsman and underworld figure in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
during the mid-19th century. He was the first man, along with fellow gambler Henry Colton, to open "first-class" casinos in the city during the 1830s. His self-named resort in lower Broadway
Lower Broadway
Lower Broadway is a street that is a focal point of Nashville, Tennessee.The street runs east and west between Interstate 65 and the west bank of the Cumberland River. Its features include the Bridgestone Arena, the Nashville Convention Center and various honky tonk bars, including Robert's Western...
was especially popular in the years prior to the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and regarded in the city as "perhaps the most famous gambler of the era".
Early life and arrival in America
Born in Waterford, Ireland, Patrick Hearne belonged to a family who "held a most high and respectable position" in the local countyCounty Waterford
*Abbeyside, Affane, Aglish, Annestown, An Rinn, Ardmore*Ballinacourty, Ballinameela, Ballinamult, Ballinroad, Ballybeg, Ballybricken, Ballyduff Lower, Ballyduff Upper, Ballydurn, Ballygunner, Ballylaneen, Ballymacarbry, Ballymacart, Ballynaneashagh, Ballysaggart, Ballytruckle, Bilberry, Bunmahon,...
and whose his father was a respected solicitor. One of his sisters married a Colonel Williams, a highly distinguished British officer who served in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, while another became a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
in a Roman Catholic convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
. He and two of his brothers eventually emigrated to United States where one, a judge, served as a prominent member of the New York bar.
After graduating with a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Dublin University, Hearne left Ireland for Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
where there were then plenty of positions open to young men hoping to practice law. Hearne was unable to find work, however, and moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he eventually "found himself penniless at the old City Hotel". On his first day in the city, while walking down Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
, he ran into an old friend from Dublin. His friend advised him to go to New Orleans, where large groups of Irish immigrants were settling, and loaned him some money to get him as far as Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. Once there, he left his trunk behind and proceeded on foot to the nearest reachable point on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. He walked a distance of several hundred miles and, coming across the first riverboat, he was able to convince its captain that while he could not pay for passage he would pay him his fee once he was able to find employment. The captain, "struck by his good address and pleading presence", agreed to his request.
Time in New Orleans
Once in New Orleans, Hearne was immediately hired by one of the top law firms in the city. His university training served him well and, after a brief probationary period, he was hired as a full-time member with a salary fixed at $1,800 a year. He remained employed there until the head of the firm, becoming infirm in his old age, took on a partner who subsequently had Hearne released. Finding himself penniless once again, he was soon approached by a young gambler whom he had met on the riverboat to New Orleans. The young man, whose father was a silent partner at a major gambling house, offered Hearne an accounting position at what was then the largest gambling operation in the city.While working for the casino, he became a favorite to many of its wealthy patrons who "having received a good education, and being a man of polished manners, with a social and genial disposition, and having, withal, a large stock of rollickling Irish humor, he commended himself to all with whom he came in contact, and those fond of play and fast living found in Pat Herne a congenial companion". He was able to get several to invest in a bank on his own account in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
.
Return to New York
Hearne remained with the gambling-house until public gaming was outlawed. The crackdown on illegal gambling by city officials in New Orleans beginning in 1835 resulted in a mass exodus to other cities around the country. New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
was among the places where gambling emerged and, within a few short years, succeeded New Orleans as the country's gaming capitol. It was Pat Hearne, along with Henry Colton, who opened the city's earliest "first-class" casinos during this period. Their success encouraged more gamblers to flock to New York over the next decade allowing the development of future gambling and vice districts.
In 1840, Hearne "fitted up" and opened a suite of apartments on Barclay Street which became the city's first skinning house
Skins Game
A skins game is a type of scoring for various sports, most notably golf but also for curling and bowling.-LG Skins Game:There was an annual skins game for male professional golfers which takes place in November or December each year after the end of the official PGA Tour season. It is recognized by...
". He used the apartments to entertain patrons with "bird" style dinners who were then "braced" to pay the expense. The most successful of Hearne's ventures, however, was his self-named gambling resort, opposite the Metropolitan Hotel
Metropolitan Hotel (New York City)
The Metropolitan Hotel in New York City was a Manhattan hotel opened September 1, 1852 and demolished in 1895.It occupied a three-hundred-foot brownstone-faced frontage of four floors above fashionable shopfronts occupying a full city block on Broadway and two hundred feet on Prince Street...
, in lower Broadway
Lower Broadway
Lower Broadway is a street that is a focal point of Nashville, Tennessee.The street runs east and west between Interstate 65 and the west bank of the Cumberland River. Its features include the Bridgestone Arena, the Nashville Convention Center and various honky tonk bars, including Robert's Western...
; according to rumor he made as much as $15,000 or $20,000 a night. His gambling operations were compared to those of John Morrissey
John Morrissey
John Morrissey , also known as Old Smoke, was an Irish bare-knuckle boxer and a gang member in New York in the 1850s and later became a Democratic State Senator and U.S. Congressman from New York, backed by Tammany Hall...
in Saratoga
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
in later years. He became "a very celebrated character in New York" during the 1840s and 50s, being among the sportsmen and gambling empresarios who "rubbed elbows" with many celebrities, literary figures and politicians of the day, and was one of the first prominent sportsmen to emerge in the city including Isaiah Rynders
Isaiah Rynders
Captain Isaiah Rynders was an American businessman, sportsman, underworld figure and political organizer for Tammany Hall...
, prizefighters Yankee Sullivan
Yankee Sullivan
Yankee Sullivan also known as Frank Murray and James Sullivan was a bare knuckle fighter and boxer. He was a Champion of Prizefighting from 1851 to October 12, 1853...
and Tom Hyer
Tom Hyer
Tom Hyer was an American bare-knuckle boxer. He was a champion of boxing in America from September 9, 1841 to 1851....
, and minstrel Dan Bryant.
Pat Hearne, according to one article by the New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
, won "not less than half a million dollars" at his Broadway casino, but he "loved to play for its own sake”; He was so much of a gambler, in fact, that he lost his house's take more than once, and eventually the gambling-house itself. Eventually, New York too began to go after certain gambling operations as well. A number of gamblers, such as faro dealers
Faro (card game)
Faro, Pharaoh, or Farobank, is a late 17th century French gambling card game descendant of basset, and belongs to the lansquenet and Monte Bank family of games, in that it is played between a banker and several players winning or losing according to the cards turned up matching those already...
, had their establishments sized by authorities and tried by police magistrates at the Court of General Sessions. None of the cases ever went to a conviction with the single exception of a complaint against Pat Hearne.
In early 1855, Hearne was apprehended and taken to the Eighth Ward Station-House, where he was detained for the night. Earlier that year, theologian Henry James, Sr. had found his brother John was deeply in debt to Hearne, whom he called the "barracuda of New York gamblers", and who owed Hearne approximately $2,124 at the time of his death. James began writing a series anti-gambling columns for the New York Tribune in which he referred to Hearne and other gamblers as "social vermin". James was also upset that Hearne's gambling resort was located next door to John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
's old mansion at 685 Broadway. James, whose father had been a close friend of Astor, asked readers what Astor would have thought if he knew that a "social pest house sat next to his honest mansion". Hearne, at one point, actually purchased the mansion before it was sold to the Buckleys who converted it into their opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
. Then recently elected Mayor of New York Fernando Wood
Fernando Wood
Fernando Wood was an American politician of the Democratic Party and mayor of New York City; he also served as a United States Representative and as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means in both the 45th and 46th Congress .A successful shipping merchant who became Grand Sachem of the...
showed little interest in reform or cleaning up the vice districts and Hearne continued to run his establishment. Henry James left New York that same year. His biographer Alfred Habegger believed this may have been due to threats of retaliation from the New York underworld.
Hearne was eventually arrested in another gambling raid the following year and, this time, gained his release only after promising to close his gambling resort for good. His release was arraigned by his lawyer Daniel Sickles
Daniel Sickles
Daniel Edgar Sickles was a colorful and controversial American politician, Union general in the American Civil War, and diplomat....
.
Death
After the close of his Broadway resort, Hearne retired from gambling and quietly lived with his wife and two adopted daughters at No. 6 Clinton Place. On the morning of July 4, 1859, Hearne died at his home after a long illness. Only ten days before, he had suffered a mild attack of "paralysis of the brain" but his health rallied and was expected to recover until his second fatal attack. He was buried in a private ceremony at Greenwood CemeteryGreenwood Cemetery
Greenwood Cemetery may refer to:in the United States*Greenwood Cemetery, Orlando, Florida, near Downtown Orlando*Greenwood Cemetery, Jefferson County, Alabama, near the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport...
the next day.
Further reading
- Asbury, Herbert. Sucker's Progress: An Informal History of Gambling in America from the Colonies to Canfield. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1938.
- Henneke, Ben Graf. Laura Keene: A Biography. Tulsa: Council Oak Books, 1990. ISBN 0-933031-31-9
- Lefevre, Edwin. Reminiscences of a Stock Operator. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1923.