Ceremonial brass gavel, measuring 9.5″ long, engraved with the inscription: “Presented To His Honor Mayor James J. Walker By His Comrades In The Honor Legion Police Department City of New York May 20, 1926.” James John Walker (June 19, 1881-November 18, 1946), known colloquially as Beau James, was mayor of New York City from 1926 to 1932. A flamboyant politician, he was a liberal Democrat and part of the powerful Tammany Hall machine. He was forced to resign during a corruption scandal. In January 1914, the “Honor Legion of the Police Department of the City of New York” was incorporated with the Secretary of State of New York. Its headquarters was located in the Borough of Queens. Membership in the Honor Legion required that the officer be an Honor Man, a sobriquet given to an officer who had previously been awarded a medal typically on the occasion of the Annual Police Parade, which was held each spring.
