Person Information

Biography

Irish fugitive (along with his son James) whose case WHS' 1838 gubernatorial opponent William Marcy was accused of mishandling. Mentioned in 18381030WHS_BJS: "The letters recd from N. York and Albany are still cheering the Bamber business," and in 18381101BJS_WHS: "The Bamber case is producing some effect - a few ward meetings show this."

From the Library of Congress Online Catalog: 
An attack on New York governor William L. Marcy's controversial decision to surrender Irish fugitives John Bamber, Sr., and his son James to the British consul after their detention in New York. The Bambers, wanted by the British government in connection with the killing of an Irish police constable, had sought asylum in the United States. Marcy's decision to return them to British custody caused a furor among New York Whigs and Irish immigrants. In the title the "A" in Marcy's name is crossed out and replaced with an "E." Marcy is shown leading the two Bambers by a rope tied to their necks toward a stout British consul on the right. The prisoners are in hand and leg irons. In the background a ship sits offshore and a heavyset man with spectacles, city recorder Richard Riker, runs up waving a writ of habeas corpus and crying "Stop! Stop!" On the left is the Hall of Justice; on the right the consul's office. Marcy's trousers are mended with a "50 cents" patch, a joke regarding a tailor's voucher for fifty cents that he submitted during his governorship of New York. Marcy: "Here my dear Sir are these savage Irishmen, whom I gladly deliver over to you, to be dealt with as the Queen's most excellent Majesty may think fit." British consul: "I thank your Excellency for your promptness, and shall represent your conduct in such a light to her most gracious Majesty, that I have not a bit of doubt she will reward you with a pair of new breeches!!" The younger Bamber: "Is this the boasted liberty of the soil? Is this the law for an adopted citizen?" Bamber, Sr.: "Is this the justice of the self-styled People's Party?"

Citations

Biography and Citation Information:
Biography: 
Irish fugitive (along with his son James) whose case WHS' 1838 gubernatorial opponent William Marcy was accused of mishandling. Mentioned in 18381030WHS_BJS: "The letters recd from N. York and Albany are still cheering the Bamber business," and in 18381101BJS_WHS: "The Bamber case is producing some effect - a few ward meetings show this." From the Library of Congress Online Catalog: An attack on New York governor William L. Marcy's controversial decision to surrender Irish fugitives John Bamber, Sr., and his son James to the British consul after their detention in New York. The Bambers, wanted by the British government in connection with the killing of an Irish police constable, had sought asylum in the United States. Marcy's decision to return them to British custody caused a furor among New York Whigs and Irish immigrants. In the title the "A" in Marcy's name is crossed out and replaced with an "E." Marcy is shown leading the two Bambers by a rope tied to their necks toward a stout British consul on the right. The prisoners are in hand and leg irons. In the background a ship sits offshore and a heavyset man with spectacles, city recorder Richard Riker, runs up waving a writ of habeas corpus and crying "Stop! Stop!" On the left is the Hall of Justice; on the right the consul's office. Marcy's trousers are mended with a "50 cents" patch, a joke regarding a tailor's voucher for fifty cents that he submitted during his governorship of New York. Marcy: "Here my dear Sir are these savage Irishmen, whom I gladly deliver over to you, to be dealt with as the Queen's most excellent Majesty may think fit." British consul: "I thank your Excellency for your promptness, and shall represent your conduct in such a light to her most gracious Majesty, that I have not a bit of doubt she will reward you with a pair of new breeches!!" The younger Bamber: "Is this the boasted liberty of the soil? Is this the law for an adopted citizen?" Bamber, Sr.: "Is this the justice of the self-styled People's Party?"
Citation Type: 
Website
Citation URL: 
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2008661317/
Title of Webpage: 
Library of Congress - Executive mercy/Marcy and the Bambers
Website Viewing Date: 
Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - 11:30
Website's Last Modified Date: 
Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - 11:30
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Biography: 
See this page for a newspaper article on the Bamber case: http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%2010/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post%201838%20Oct-Apr%201839%20Grayscale/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post%201838%20Oct-Apr%201839%20Grayscale%20-%200064.pdf
Citation Type: 
Website
Citation URL: 
http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%2010/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post%201838%20Oct-Apr%201839%20Grayscale/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post%201838%20Oct-Apr%201839%20Grayscale%20-%200064.pdf
Title of Webpage: 
The Bamber Case.-Its Rise, Progress and Termination: A full vindication of the conduct of Gov. MARCY, by the Adopted Citizens of Albany.
Website Viewing Date: 
Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - 11:45
Website's Last Modified Date: 
Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - 11:45
Citation for Birth Info:
Citation for Death Info: