Thomas H and Mary A Cottingham
1844-1900
Thomas H Cottingham was a native of Ireland, born 6 Apr 1844 who came to Newport in 1860. He married Mary A Walsh at the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Newport 26 Oct 1869. Mary A Walsh was born in Cincinnati Oh, the daughter of Thomas Walsh and Bridget Cooper.
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Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, 6 October 1873, page 5
NEWPORT
It seems that Officer Cottingham undertook to arrest on George
Elliott, shortly after the close of the Barracks' parade, from which large
numbers of people were returning. Elliott refused to be taken, and as Cottingham
was without his mace, the crowd with whom Elliott was closed around
threateningly, it became an ugly task for him to secure his prisoner.
He was game, however, and a rough and tumble fight ensued during which both men had their heads banged up. Bill Elliott and John Barnet undertook to rescue the prisoner and were taken in charge by Officers Woodsides and McCloud. The latter were also without weapons of any kind and their men, imitating the example of their comrade, and fighting every inch of the way until actually thrust into the cells of the jail, a large number of people were attracted and the street assumed the appearance of a general riot being in progress.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 January 1877, page 7
NEWPORT
AT a meeting of the Police Commissioners, held last night, the following officers were appointed for the term of one year: Thomas Cottingham, Lieutenant: William Hayes, Al Boyd, Dennis Flynn, H F Speckman, George Creighton, Michael Connolly, Chris Martsolf, Policemen; and R A Mahafey, Substitute.
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Cottingham first became a city fireman before he was hired as a policeman. The Newport Local commented in January 1878 that concern over crime continued to grow and "It looks as if a fellow who is able, can buy himself out of a sentence for $500. By the fall of 1878 Lt. Cottingham was named chief by the Newport Board of Police Commissioners. He immediately post special night patrols and captured a gang of thieves in November.
Police recovered a wagon load of stolen goods from a houseboat on the Licking River and and two homes on Goodman Street. Cottingham's honeymoon as police chief ended quickly, however. Burglaries continued and complaints increased. In January 1880 the police board reduced Cottingham to lieutenant and brought back David Lock as chief.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, 3 February 1881, page 7
NEWPORT
Judge McKibben yesterday appointed Thomas Cottingham as Constable in the Second Magisterial District to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of William Cottingham. He is the man for the place. His official bond is signed by Michael Maher.
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A smooth transition usually occurred between a department's outgoing and incoming members when the political winds changed, but legal challenges to partisan ousters occasionally kept the authority of firefighters, policemen or tax collectors in limbo for long periods. The worst such case in Newport ensued in 1892 when Mayor George Ahlering, a German Republican, tried to replace Police Chief (again) Thomas Cottingham, an Irish Democrat with Thomas Stewart. Cottingham filed suit against Ahlering's action. Campbell County Circuit Judge Charles Helm of Newport, a Democrat of good Confederate parentage, surprised no one by ruling for Cottingham in January 1893. When the Court of Appeals, also dominated by Democrats also upheld this decision, the Kentucky Post said "the city is now in a bad fix."
Cottingham and Stewart both showed up everyday claiming the right to run the Police Department. Each chief was backed by his own cadre of patrolmen, and apprehension steadily grew that violence might erupt between these rival camps and officers. The City Council also split, with Democrats championing Cottingham and Republicans upholding Stewart.
Democratic councilmen eventually abandoned Cottingham in the face of withering public ridicule over the spectacle of a police force that somehow managed to handcuff itself. "Disgusted with the way things were going and weary of the endless wrangling", Stewart withdrew on January 25. May Ahlering realized that if he could not beat Cottingham at law, so he decided in plain English to buy the police chief off. Ahlering secured Cottingham's resignation by paying him a full year's salary of $500 for a few months work, and also allowing his faction on the force to keep their pay. Ahlering then appointed his own man, W H Wallingford, as chief on March 3. Ahlering finally had his own police chief, Cottingham had a full year's salary, and the taxpayers had to foot the bill after enduring two months of chaos on the police force.
Cottingham died July 18, 1900 at the age of 57. At the time he was working as a deputy sheriff at the Queen City Race Track in Newport. He was buried in St. Stephens Cemetery and David Lock was among the pallbearers. Mary Walsh Cottingham died 29 January 1919 and was buried in St. Stephens.
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Thomas
H Cottingham 1900 Obituary
Children of Thomas Cottingham and Mary A Walsh
1. Mannie Cottingham b-1871 in Newport
2. William G Cottingham b-18 Sep 1873 in Newport; d-28 June 1950 in Dayton Ky.
br-St Stephens
3. Emma Julia Cottingham b-31 Nov 1875 in Newport; m-John
Maloney 12 June 1918
4. Catherine Cottingham b-26 Feb 1878 in Newport; d-before 1880
5. Thomas John Cottingham b-9 Mar 1880 in Newport; d-16 Aug 1910 in Newport; br-St
Stephens
6. Helena B Cottingham b-22 Aug 1882 in Newport; d-before 1900
7. Robert Martin Cottingham 23 Aug 1883; d-15 July 1946 in Cincinnati Oh; br-St
Stephens
8. Elizabeth "Bessie" Cottingham b-12 July 1886 in Newport; d-26 Oct 1886 in
Newport; br-St Stephens
9. Margaret Cottingham b-21 Feb 1888 in Newport;
10. Pearl Cottingham b-22 Feb 1889 in Newport; d-1 Dec 1911; br-St Stephens
11. James Henry Cottingham b-31 Mar 1890 in Newport; d-11 June 1921 in Covington
Ky. br-St Stephens
12. Julia Mabel Cottingham b-29 Mar 1892 in Newport