David Hennessy

David Hennessy
Born	1858 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	October 16, 1890 (aged 31–32) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Cause of death	Murder
Police career
Department	New Orleans Police Department
Rank	Police chief

David C. Hennessy (1858 – October 16, 1890) was an American policeman and detective who served as a police chief of New Orleans from 1888 until his death in 1890. As a young detective, he made headlines in 1881 when he captured a notorious Italian criminal, Giuseppe Esposito. In 1888, he was promoted to superintendent and chief of police. While in office he made a number of improvements to the force, and was well known and respected in the New Orleans community.

His assassination in 1890 led to a sensational trial. A series of acquittals and mistrials in March 1891 angered locals, and an enormous mob forced open the prison doors and lynched 11 of the 19 Italian men who had been indicted for Hennessy's murder in the largest known mass lynching in U.S. history.