The Monument of Thomas Addis Emmet

In this New York City view from the street (at 209 Broadway), St. Paul's Chapel is shown to the right of its churchyard, where there is a prominent white obelisk monument. Several pedestrians are on the sidewalk nearby. This print documents the cenotaph (height 30 feet [9.144 meters]) when it was erected in 1832 by Americans of Irish descent in memory of Thomas Addis Emmet (1764-1827), a noted Irish-American lawyer. In the bottom margin, beneath the image and the imprinted title, is a medallion profile portrait of Emmet centrally placed within six columns of text. At the lower right of the print, an inscription provides the dimensions of the monument, and identifies "Mr. Preece" as its sculptor.

Born in Ireland, Thomas Addis Emmet studied medicine, but then pursued law as a profession. He began his career as a barrister in 1790s, principally representing prisoners charged with political offenses. He also was a legal advisor to the Society of United Irishmen, an alliance of Presbyterian radicals and Catholics. This secret, nonsectarian, military organization advocated for parliamentary reform based on universal male suffrage, Catholic emancipation and the elimination of British rule in Ireland. After the British government enacted three statutes— The Insurrection Act, the Suspension of Habeas Corpus Act and the Martial Law Act– the Society of United Irishmen planned an uprising in 1798. Before any hostilities took place, the leaders of the society, including Emmet, were arrested on charges of treason and conspiracy, and were imprisoned. The subsequent uprising was easily suppressed by British forces. Following his release from prison in 1802, on condition of permanent exile to a country not at war with England, Emmet moved to France, and in 1803 emigrated to the United States. In 1805, Emmet was permitted to practice law in New York. He soon ranked among America's most respected leading attorneys; he was also known for being a committed abolitionist. In 1812–1813, he served as Attorney General of New York. He died while conducting a court case on November 14, 1827.

The monument's memorial inscription (as it appears on this print) notes that Emmet "exemplified in his conduct and adorned by his Integrity, the policy and principles of the United Irishmen -- to forward a brotherhood of affection, a community of rights.... In a just and holy cause, His sympathizing Countrymen Erected this monument and Cenotaph...." The inscription further acknowledges a "transatlantic life in service of liberty and charity," and Emmet's role in "vindicating the rights of man in the person of the African." The actual monument still exists on its original site in the graveyard of St. Paul's Chapel.













This print documents the cenotaph monument (30 feet [9.144 meters] tall) when it was erected in 1832 by Americans of Irish descent in memory of Thomas Addis Emmet (1764-1827), Irish-American lawyer and politician (and leader of the United Irishmen in the 1790s). The actual monument still exists on its original site.