Daniel E. Sickles was notorious for his decadent lifestyle, dishonest dealings, and depraved morality. Throughout his life, he lived in a world of his own making; a world devoid of the laws and mores of strict conduct that governed genteel society of the Victorian era. He enjoyed success after success despite his disregard for rules that he believed simply did not apply to him. At every turn of his life, he thumbed his nose at the social order. He espoused a code under which a man should live: Truth, Fortitude, Prudence, Temperance and Justice. However, those were hollow words from a man whose approach to life was, seemingly, “do as I say, not as I do.”
The corrupt path which led to the horrific incident that precipitated scandal, trial, an unusual verdict, and new opportunities began many years before 1859. Daniel, as a young man, lived with the Da Ponte family while he attended New York University. The atmosphere in the Da Ponte home was Bohemian. They were unconventional, free-thinking intellectuals with enlightened European values; a household of musicians and philosophers. Another resident who shared the home was a beautiful child named Teresa Bagioli (1838-1867).
During his university days he patronized the brothels of New York City and his enjoyment of indiscriminate sexual escapades became a vice he would relish even after his wedding vows.
Daniel became fixated upon the beautiful young lady in the Da Ponte household and, despite being twice her age, began to court her. Teresa, at the age of fifteen, married Daniel in September of 1852. Soon after the marriage, Daniel and Teresa had a daughter, Laura. At first it appeared that Mr. Sickles had a change of heart and had renounced his philandering ways. But, scarcely a year after the ceremony, Daniel was yet again involved with a woman of ill repute.
The corrupt path which led to the horrific incident that precipitated scandal, trial, an unusual verdict, and new opportunities began many years before 1859. Daniel, as a young man, lived with the Da Ponte family while he attended New York University. The atmosphere in the Da Ponte home was Bohemian. They were unconventional, free-thinking intellectuals with enlightened European values; a household of musicians and philosophers. Another resident who shared the home was a beautiful child named Teresa Bagioli (1838-1867).
During his university days he patronized the brothels of New York City and his enjoyment of indiscriminate sexual escapades became a vice he would relish even after his wedding vows.
Daniel became fixated upon the beautiful young lady in the Da Ponte household and, despite being twice her age, began to court her. Teresa, at the age of fifteen, married Daniel in September of 1852. Soon after the marriage, Daniel and Teresa had a daughter, Laura. At first it appeared that Mr. Sickles had a change of heart and had renounced his philandering ways. But, scarcely a year after the ceremony, Daniel was yet again involved with a woman of ill repute.
Political Beginnings
In September 1853, Sickles landed the prestigious position of secretary to then Ambassador to England, James Buchanan. He secured the position with the assistance and the insistence of his friend, President Franklin Perce and influential partisans of Tammany Hall. During his tenure as Buchanan’s assistant, one of the most shameless acts of Sickles life occurred. While on assignment in London, Daniel had brought with him a notorious Manhattan Madame named Fanny White. The two had a long-standing iniquitous relationship. Sickles escorted Fanny to a reception at Buckingham Palace and presented her to Queen Victoria as “Miss Julie Bennett” of New York. The subterfuge of her presentation as a respectable member of American society to Her Majesty was crude retribution against his ardent enemy from his Tammany Hall days, James Gordon Bennett who owned New York newspaper, The Herald. The incident leaked across the Atlantic, and caused a great stir in the states. No doubt, his left-behind wife, Teresa, learned of his scandalous behavior. She was in New York with their newborn daughter. Sickles had told her to join him in England the following spring, when the child would be old enough to make the crossing.
The London episode was just the first of many by which she was to be publicly humiliated. As time wore on, she must have become increasingly lonely and unappreciated by her philandering spouse. Daniel Sickles’ serial adultery made Teresa a susceptible accomplice to her own future infidelity with a handsome Washington District Attorney.
In March 1857, Daniel Sickles, his wife Teresa, and their young daughter Laura came to Washington, D. C. He was a recently elected congressman from the state of New York who wanted to make an impressive splash on the intertwined political and social scene of the capital city. He rented a luxurious home with the most fashionable address in town, Lafayette Square, which sat directly in front of the White House. Daniel set out to make connections that would further his career, the most fateful of which was his alliance with the District Attorney of Washington D.C., Mr. Philip Barton Key (1818-1859). Sickles motivation for his relationship with Key was to bolster his standing in the upper echelon of local society; acceptance into that tight-knit clique was mandatory to become a mover and a shaker. The acquaintance played to Sickles objective of inclusion as he surrounded himself with a shroud of respectability through affiliation with those in power and promoted his young wife as an adored wife and gracious hostess. Philip Barton Key was the son of the Star Spangled Banner author Frances Scott Key, the father of four small children, and a widower. With the passing of his beloved wife, Ellen, in 1855; Philip became depressed and unable to carry out his duties as a father. He believed himself to be in poor health and constantly sought sympathy and companionship from those in the D. C. social circle. He was one of the most handsome, witty, and available bachelors in Washington and his companionship was sought by many of the area socialites. In March 1857, Key was introduced to Teresa by her husband at President James Buchanan’s inauguration ball. This set in motion a relationship which started as a flirtatious friendship but grew into a full-fledged affair.
The Sickles’ first year at the Lafayette Square mansion was a whirlwind of dinners, balls, and endless social gatherings. From the outside looking in, life for the Sickles appeared to have been a picture of pre-Civil War domestic perfection. Increasingly, Daniel was so busy with congressional matters that he had no time to attend all the parties that his political status demanded. Therefore, he often asked his seemingly benign acquaintance, Philip, to escort Teresa in his stead.
February 24, 1859, was the last of the splendid dinners given by the prominent Sickles. They treated their friends to a lavish affair at their home which lasted until the wee hours of the morning. After the hostess retired, Daniel sat down at his desk to peruse the daily mail. Among the innocuous correspondence, he found an anonymous letter addressed to him.
The letter read:
[Dear sir with a deep regret I enclose to you address the few lines but an indispensible duty compels me so to do seeing that you are greatly imposed upon. There is a fellow I may say for he is not a gentleman by any means by the of Phillip Barton Key and I believe the district attorney who rents a house of a negro man by the name of Jno. A Gray situated on 15th street btwn K & L streets for no other purpose than to meet your wife Mrs Sickles. He hangs a string out of the window as a signal to her that he is in and leaves the door unfastened and she walks in and sir I do assure you with these few hints. I leave the rest for you to imagine.
Most Respfly Your friend R. P. G.]
The next day Sickles had a friend make inquiries to the neighbors of the house on 15th street as well as the Lafayette Square mansion servants. The confidant later reported to the congressman that from all indications the anonymous letter writer had given accurate information. The mysterious R. P. G. was either sympathetic to the plight of an unsuspecting husband or, possibly, harbored ill will towards Key. Whatever the case, the author of that ill-fated letter was never publicly known. Over the next two days, Sickles sulked and cried. He showed the letter to several friends to elicit their advice on the matter. Daniel behaved as though he was thoroughly shocked and appalled by the thought of an extramarital affair, although he was personally and intimately familiar with the concept. According to an account related to Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, a man who considered Sickles a close friend caught red-handed his own wife and Daniel on their way to a licentious rendezvous.
By Saturday evening February 26, Sickles could contain his anger no longer. With extreme indignation, he confronted his wife and demanded an account of her relationship with Philip. She initially denied any impropriety but, after strong coercion, confirmed the adulterous episodes. The enraged husband demanded from his wife a confession with a litany of her transgressions. In the document, Teresa confirmed a carnal relationship had begun with Key in January 1859. They had their libidinous assignations at the rented house on 15th street. She wrote, in what was considered in the Victorian era to be uncouth and inappropriate language, “there was a bed in the second story. I did what is usual for a wicked woman to do—and intimacy of an improper kind.” Lawyer Sickles had the foresight to obtain this account from his wife as if he planned retribution against his rival. Whatever the reasoning for extracting the declaration, it may be viewed as premeditation for future actions. The document was later denied introduction at trial to substantiate a contention that Sickles was provoked into the action which ultimately caused Philip Key’s death.
Sunday, February 27, was a fateful day. Around noontime Samuel Butterworth, a friend and associate from Daniel’s Tammany Hall days arrived to console his comrade. While the men discussed the Sickles situation, Philip Key was spied through the window giving the signal he hoped would be seen and acted upon by Teresa. Unfortunately, this time the signal was seen by Daniel who sent his friend Butterworth to stall Key while he obtained multiple firearms and bounded into Lafayette Square to confront the man who had made him a cuckold.
As Sickles approached, Key’s demeanor changed from congeniality to trepidation. Sickles yelled, “You have dishonored my house and you must die!” According to accounts three shots were fired into the unarmed man who was pleading for his life and two additional attempts resulted in misfires. The fatal wound was to Key’s chest. Bystanders soon carried Key to a nearby Men’s Club just off the Square where he expired. Daniel Sickles proceeded directly to the residence of the U. S. Attorney General and turned himself in.
News quickly spread that the District Attorney had been shot down in Lafayette Square by a congressman. As allegations and particles of truth circulated, the incident became the talk of the town and a subject of rampant speculation on motives and what would happen to the federal official who had shot a defenseless man and left four young children as orphans.
The Trial of the Century began in April 1859. Sickles had assembled the top legal minds of the day: John Graham and James Brady from New York and Edwin M. Stanton who was later President Lincoln’s Secretary of War. There was no doubt that he had cold-bloodedly shot and killed Key. The defense chose to focus upon motivation, provocation, and consequences of adultery. Many political insiders were supportive of Daniel and he received well-wishes from many influential allies. Still, Daniel Sickles' life and future depended upon the wiles of his defense team. That troop of lawyers set about arguing that not only were his actions understandable and in concert with accepted action when a man finds his wife engaged in adultery but also that the actions were clearly precipitated by the situation. The essential assertion was that the circumstances had been so shocking and hurtful to the congressman that he thought his action to kill Key was not only justified but necessary given his state of mind. Succinctly, the defense was that Daniel Sickles was unaware that his actions were wrong and he was, therefore, temporarily insane at the time of the offense.
As the trial proceeded, the question wasn’t whether a jury would find he committed the offense but whether the panel could agree that his actions were prudent in the moment. The answer soon came: the jury agreed that Sickles was incapable of discerning right from wrong at the time of the felony and was not guilty of the murder of Philip Barton Key.
Public opinion was split on the jury’s decision and many political allies not only abandoned but also ostracized him as he returned to congress. He was an outsider which devastated his self-esteem. He knew there was no chance of re-election and he sat on the side bench in the legislative chamber and refused to participate in debate or to vote
Perhaps the event that most damaged Daniel Sickles in the court of public opinion was his public forgiveness of Teresa for her transgressions. Many asked if he could later forgive Teresa why could he not have done so earlier and spared the life of Key. Like so many things in Sickle’s life, the reconciliation with Teresa was more a public event than an actual occurrence. Teresa was never again treated as a partner or confidant and had an unhappy and unloved existence until her death in 1867.
Congressman Sickles returned to New York after his second term ended. Fortunately, the War Between the States began soon after and he again found connections and opportunities.
Daniel was an intelligent man whose accomplishments and tenacity could have secured him a solid reputation of respectability and a legitimate command of power. He was an attorney with real abilities in the practice of law, a newspaper reporter, a member of the infamous Tammany Gang, a member of congress, and a Major General in the Union Army. His accomplishments were overshadowed by salacious rumors concerning his infidelities, his veracity in business dealings and political matters, and whether he was really insane at the time he murdered District Attorney Philip Key.
Daniel Sickles lived a long life and garnered many accolades for various achievements. Despite the accomplishments, his life was largely defined by moral weakness and character flaws. His defense of temporary insanity for actions was very rare in 1859. Many thought it a legal ploy to condone murder. Sickles was buried in Arlington Cemetery as a hero.
The London episode was just the first of many by which she was to be publicly humiliated. As time wore on, she must have become increasingly lonely and unappreciated by her philandering spouse. Daniel Sickles’ serial adultery made Teresa a susceptible accomplice to her own future infidelity with a handsome Washington District Attorney.
In March 1857, Daniel Sickles, his wife Teresa, and their young daughter Laura came to Washington, D. C. He was a recently elected congressman from the state of New York who wanted to make an impressive splash on the intertwined political and social scene of the capital city. He rented a luxurious home with the most fashionable address in town, Lafayette Square, which sat directly in front of the White House. Daniel set out to make connections that would further his career, the most fateful of which was his alliance with the District Attorney of Washington D.C., Mr. Philip Barton Key (1818-1859). Sickles motivation for his relationship with Key was to bolster his standing in the upper echelon of local society; acceptance into that tight-knit clique was mandatory to become a mover and a shaker. The acquaintance played to Sickles objective of inclusion as he surrounded himself with a shroud of respectability through affiliation with those in power and promoted his young wife as an adored wife and gracious hostess. Philip Barton Key was the son of the Star Spangled Banner author Frances Scott Key, the father of four small children, and a widower. With the passing of his beloved wife, Ellen, in 1855; Philip became depressed and unable to carry out his duties as a father. He believed himself to be in poor health and constantly sought sympathy and companionship from those in the D. C. social circle. He was one of the most handsome, witty, and available bachelors in Washington and his companionship was sought by many of the area socialites. In March 1857, Key was introduced to Teresa by her husband at President James Buchanan’s inauguration ball. This set in motion a relationship which started as a flirtatious friendship but grew into a full-fledged affair.
The Sickles’ first year at the Lafayette Square mansion was a whirlwind of dinners, balls, and endless social gatherings. From the outside looking in, life for the Sickles appeared to have been a picture of pre-Civil War domestic perfection. Increasingly, Daniel was so busy with congressional matters that he had no time to attend all the parties that his political status demanded. Therefore, he often asked his seemingly benign acquaintance, Philip, to escort Teresa in his stead.
February 24, 1859, was the last of the splendid dinners given by the prominent Sickles. They treated their friends to a lavish affair at their home which lasted until the wee hours of the morning. After the hostess retired, Daniel sat down at his desk to peruse the daily mail. Among the innocuous correspondence, he found an anonymous letter addressed to him.
The letter read:
[Dear sir with a deep regret I enclose to you address the few lines but an indispensible duty compels me so to do seeing that you are greatly imposed upon. There is a fellow I may say for he is not a gentleman by any means by the of Phillip Barton Key and I believe the district attorney who rents a house of a negro man by the name of Jno. A Gray situated on 15th street btwn K & L streets for no other purpose than to meet your wife Mrs Sickles. He hangs a string out of the window as a signal to her that he is in and leaves the door unfastened and she walks in and sir I do assure you with these few hints. I leave the rest for you to imagine.
Most Respfly Your friend R. P. G.]
The next day Sickles had a friend make inquiries to the neighbors of the house on 15th street as well as the Lafayette Square mansion servants. The confidant later reported to the congressman that from all indications the anonymous letter writer had given accurate information. The mysterious R. P. G. was either sympathetic to the plight of an unsuspecting husband or, possibly, harbored ill will towards Key. Whatever the case, the author of that ill-fated letter was never publicly known. Over the next two days, Sickles sulked and cried. He showed the letter to several friends to elicit their advice on the matter. Daniel behaved as though he was thoroughly shocked and appalled by the thought of an extramarital affair, although he was personally and intimately familiar with the concept. According to an account related to Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, a man who considered Sickles a close friend caught red-handed his own wife and Daniel on their way to a licentious rendezvous.
By Saturday evening February 26, Sickles could contain his anger no longer. With extreme indignation, he confronted his wife and demanded an account of her relationship with Philip. She initially denied any impropriety but, after strong coercion, confirmed the adulterous episodes. The enraged husband demanded from his wife a confession with a litany of her transgressions. In the document, Teresa confirmed a carnal relationship had begun with Key in January 1859. They had their libidinous assignations at the rented house on 15th street. She wrote, in what was considered in the Victorian era to be uncouth and inappropriate language, “there was a bed in the second story. I did what is usual for a wicked woman to do—and intimacy of an improper kind.” Lawyer Sickles had the foresight to obtain this account from his wife as if he planned retribution against his rival. Whatever the reasoning for extracting the declaration, it may be viewed as premeditation for future actions. The document was later denied introduction at trial to substantiate a contention that Sickles was provoked into the action which ultimately caused Philip Key’s death.
Sunday, February 27, was a fateful day. Around noontime Samuel Butterworth, a friend and associate from Daniel’s Tammany Hall days arrived to console his comrade. While the men discussed the Sickles situation, Philip Key was spied through the window giving the signal he hoped would be seen and acted upon by Teresa. Unfortunately, this time the signal was seen by Daniel who sent his friend Butterworth to stall Key while he obtained multiple firearms and bounded into Lafayette Square to confront the man who had made him a cuckold.
As Sickles approached, Key’s demeanor changed from congeniality to trepidation. Sickles yelled, “You have dishonored my house and you must die!” According to accounts three shots were fired into the unarmed man who was pleading for his life and two additional attempts resulted in misfires. The fatal wound was to Key’s chest. Bystanders soon carried Key to a nearby Men’s Club just off the Square where he expired. Daniel Sickles proceeded directly to the residence of the U. S. Attorney General and turned himself in.
News quickly spread that the District Attorney had been shot down in Lafayette Square by a congressman. As allegations and particles of truth circulated, the incident became the talk of the town and a subject of rampant speculation on motives and what would happen to the federal official who had shot a defenseless man and left four young children as orphans.
The Trial of the Century began in April 1859. Sickles had assembled the top legal minds of the day: John Graham and James Brady from New York and Edwin M. Stanton who was later President Lincoln’s Secretary of War. There was no doubt that he had cold-bloodedly shot and killed Key. The defense chose to focus upon motivation, provocation, and consequences of adultery. Many political insiders were supportive of Daniel and he received well-wishes from many influential allies. Still, Daniel Sickles' life and future depended upon the wiles of his defense team. That troop of lawyers set about arguing that not only were his actions understandable and in concert with accepted action when a man finds his wife engaged in adultery but also that the actions were clearly precipitated by the situation. The essential assertion was that the circumstances had been so shocking and hurtful to the congressman that he thought his action to kill Key was not only justified but necessary given his state of mind. Succinctly, the defense was that Daniel Sickles was unaware that his actions were wrong and he was, therefore, temporarily insane at the time of the offense.
As the trial proceeded, the question wasn’t whether a jury would find he committed the offense but whether the panel could agree that his actions were prudent in the moment. The answer soon came: the jury agreed that Sickles was incapable of discerning right from wrong at the time of the felony and was not guilty of the murder of Philip Barton Key.
Public opinion was split on the jury’s decision and many political allies not only abandoned but also ostracized him as he returned to congress. He was an outsider which devastated his self-esteem. He knew there was no chance of re-election and he sat on the side bench in the legislative chamber and refused to participate in debate or to vote
Perhaps the event that most damaged Daniel Sickles in the court of public opinion was his public forgiveness of Teresa for her transgressions. Many asked if he could later forgive Teresa why could he not have done so earlier and spared the life of Key. Like so many things in Sickle’s life, the reconciliation with Teresa was more a public event than an actual occurrence. Teresa was never again treated as a partner or confidant and had an unhappy and unloved existence until her death in 1867.
Congressman Sickles returned to New York after his second term ended. Fortunately, the War Between the States began soon after and he again found connections and opportunities.
Daniel was an intelligent man whose accomplishments and tenacity could have secured him a solid reputation of respectability and a legitimate command of power. He was an attorney with real abilities in the practice of law, a newspaper reporter, a member of the infamous Tammany Gang, a member of congress, and a Major General in the Union Army. His accomplishments were overshadowed by salacious rumors concerning his infidelities, his veracity in business dealings and political matters, and whether he was really insane at the time he murdered District Attorney Philip Key.
Daniel Sickles lived a long life and garnered many accolades for various achievements. Despite the accomplishments, his life was largely defined by moral weakness and character flaws. His defense of temporary insanity for actions was very rare in 1859. Many thought it a legal ploy to condone murder. Sickles was buried in Arlington Cemetery as a hero.