Stephen P. Kennedy
New York City Police comissioner
Stephen Patrick Kennedy (October 27, 1906 – October 17, 1978) was an American law enforcement officer who served as New York City Police Commissioner from 1955 to 1961.
Early life
Kennedy was born on October 27, 1906, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Prior to entering the police force he worked as a longshoreman, boxer, seaman, and was a secretary at U.S. Steel. In 1929 he married Hortense Goldberger, whom he had known since childhood. In 1932 they purchased a semi-detached home in Queens. Until Kennedy became commissioner they rented the lower floor and lived upstairs. They had two children, one of whom died at the age of two from cancer.
Early career
Kennedy joined the department in 1929. On September 26, 1945, he was promoted to captain and assigned to police headquarters to perform some of the duties held by Arthur W. Wallander before he was promoted to commissioner. On January 2, 1946, he was placed in command of the Thirteenth Precinct.
“Stephen P. Kennedy” enters the record as new York City Police comissioner. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Stephen, Kennedy and York can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Stephen P. Kennedy” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Stephen, Kennedy and York provides the most credible route into that argument.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q113997295. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1906, 1978, 1955 and 1961.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Stephen P. Kennedy”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Stephen P. Kennedy primary sources, Stephen P. Kennedy archive and Stephen research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Stephen P. Kennedy”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Stephen P. Kennedy” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.