{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = John Nelson Partridge | image = John Nelson Partridge (1838–1920).png | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1838|9|28}} | birth_place = Leicester, Massachusetts, US | death_date = {{Death date and age|1920|4|8|1838|9|28}} | death_place = Westport, Connecticut, US | resting_place = | occupation = Civil servant, railroad executive | awards = | spouse = {{Marriage|Charlotte Held|1906}} | children = | education = | signature = | party = | office = New York City Police Commissioner | term_start = 1902 | term_end = 1903 | office1 = Brooklyn Fire Commissioner | deputy1 = Richard H. Poillon | term_start1 = 1882 | term_end1 = 1884 | predecessor1 = Jacob Worth | successor1 = Richard H. Poillon
}} '''John Nelson Partridge''' (September 28, 1838 – April 8, 1920) was the Police Commissioner for Brooklyn and Fire Commissioner for Brooklyn in the 1880s before the merger into New York City. He was the New York Superintendent of Public Works, and the New York City Police Commissioner from 1902 to 1903.<ref name=greene>{{cite news |title=General Greene In Police Department |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1dNdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=o14NAAAAIBAJ&pg=5193,7304002&dq=john+partridge+police&hl=en |quote=Francis Vinton Greene was this afternoon appointed commissioner of police by Mayor Low to succeed Col. John Partridge when the latter retires from office on ... |newspaper=Baltimore American |place=New York |page=4 |date=December 24, 1902 |access-date=2025-07-15 |via=Google News Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Police Commissioner Partridge Resigns. Says He Needs Rest and Intimates He Is Tired of Criticism. City Club Was to Have Demanded His Removal. Some of Those Mentioned as Likely to Succeed Him. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-new-york-times-police-commissioner-p/176730000/ |quote=Col. John N. Partridge, Commissioner of Police, yesterday tendered his resignation to take effect Jan. 1, 1903. It has been informally accepted by Mayor Low, who states that thus far no successor has been determined upon |newspaper=The New York Times |page=1 |date=December 13, 1902 |access-date=2025-07-15 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
==Early life== John Nelson Partridge was born in Leicester, Massachusetts on September 28, 1838.<ref name=obit/><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ovXIlXPw8scC&pg=PA768&ci=168%2C1523%2C787%2C66 |title=The History of the Descendants of John Dwight of Dedham, Mass. |volume=II |first=Benjamin W. |last=Dwight |pages=768–769 |date=1874 |access-date=2025-07-15 |via=Google Books}}</ref>
==Career== In 1882, he was appointed Commissioner of the Brooklyn Fire Department, succeeding Jacob Worth in the office. He left the office in 1884, and was succeeded by Richard H. Poillon.<ref name="1892brooklymn">{{cite web |title=Our firemen: the official history of the Brooklyn Fire Department, from the first volunteer to the latest appointee |url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924082460407/cu31924082460407_djvu.txt |publisher=Brooklyn Fire Department |access-date=20 August 2025 |date=1892}}</ref> who had served as his deputy.<ref>{{cite web |title=Richard H. Poillon, Dies.; Ex-Fire Commissioner Of Brooklyn, Was a Member of Old Guard. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/08/02/archives/richafid-h-poillon-dies-exfire-commissioner-of-brooklynj-was.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=20 August 2025 |date=2 August 1925}}</ref>
From 1886 to 1887 he was president of the Brooklyn City and Newtown Railroad.<ref name=obit/>
Partidge was the New York City Police Commissioner from 1902 to 1903.<ref name=greene/> During his tenure he wanted to move the New York City police headquarters from Mulberry Street to Times Square.<ref name=obit/>
==Personal life== Patridge was widowed by his first wife, with whom he had a son who lived to adulthood.<ref>{{cite web |title=Merced County Sun, Volume XXXI, Number 52, 17 January 1902 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=MCS19020117.2.67&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-------- |access-date=20 August 2025 |date=17 January 1902}}</ref> In 1906 Patridge re-married to Charlotte Held.<ref>{{cite news |title=Col. Partridge To Wed. His Bride-to-Be is Miss Charlotte Held of Norwalk, Conn.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1906/08/24/archives/col-partridge-to-wed-his-bridetobe-is-miss-charlotte-held-of.html |quote=The engagement is announced of Miss Charlotte Held, a stenographer of this city, to Col. John Partridge, formerly Police Commissioner of New York. ... |newspaper=The New York Times |place=Norwalk, Connecticut |page=7 |date=1906-08-23 |publication-date=August 24, 1906 |access-date=2025-07-15}}</ref> They then moved to Westport, Connecticut. He died there on April 8, 1920.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |title=Col. J. N. Partridge Dies at 82 Years. Police Commissioner of New York in 1902 Was Long Prominent in Public Life |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1920/04/09/archives/col-jn-partridge-dies-at-82-years-police-commissioner-of-new-york.html |quote=John Nelson Partridge, better known to New Yorkers as Colonel Partridge, the title resulting from his eight years' command of Twenty-third of Brooklyn, .. |newspaper=The New York Times |page=13 |date=April 9, 1920 |access-date=2025-07-15}}</ref>
==Literature== * {{cite book|last1=Whalen|first1=Bernard|last2=Whalen|first2=Jon|title=The NYPD's First 50 Years: Politicians, Police Commissioners, and Patrolmen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2bPTBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA20|accessdate=|date=2015-01-15|publisher=Potomac Books, Inc.|isbn=9781612346564|pages=19–32}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-civ|pol}} {{succession box| before=Michael C. Murphy| title=NYPD Commissioner| years=1902–1903 | after=Francis V. Greene}} {{s-end}}
{{New York City Police Commissioner}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Partridge, John Nelson}} Category:New York City police commissioners Category:1838 births Category:1920 deaths Category:People from Westport, Connecticut Category:People from Leicester, Massachusetts