Asa Bird Gardiner | |
|---|---|
 Asa Bird Gardiner (1865) | |
| Born | September 30, 1839 Manhattan, New York City |
| Died | May 24, 1919 (aged 79) Suffern, New York |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance | United States of America Union |
| Service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1888 |
| Rank | Major |
| Battles / wars | Carlisle, Pennsylvania |
| Awards | Medal of Honor (Revoked) |
| Other work | District Attorney of New York County (removed from office) |
Asa Bird Gardiner (September 30, 1839[1] – May 24, 1919) was a controversial American soldier, attorney, and district attorney for New York County (a.k.a. the Borough of Manhattan) from 1898 to 1900.
He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the American Civil War in 1872 but it was rescinded in 1917 when supporting documentation was not found. As a Judge Advocate in the United States Army, he prosecuted the case of Johnson Chesnut Whittaker, a black cadet at West Point.
He was elected New York County District Attorney in 1897, but was put on trial for corruption, and despite acquittal, was removed from office by Theodore Roosevelt in 1900. He refused to prosecute the corrupt Tammany Hall bosses of New York City, proclaiming "The hell with reform!" (or "Reform be damned!").[2]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Brown Bookwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "General Asa B. Gardiner Dies in 80th Year. Ex-District Attorney of New York and Military Leader Passes at His Suffern Home. Was Counsel for Grant. Awarded Congressional Medal for Bravery, He Was Asked 45 Years Later to Return It. Professor of Law at West Point. Head of Society of War of 1812". The New York Times. May 29, 1919. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
General Asa Bird Gardiner, at one time District Attorney of New York County, and widely known in military affairs of the State and nation, retiring from the United States Army some years ago with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, died yesterday at his home, Orrell Manor, Suffern, N.Y., in his eightieth [sic] year. His death was the result of a stroke of apoplexy suffered on last Saturday afternoon.