The Coroner of New York City issued death certificates and performed autopsies and inquests for New York County, New York, for all homicides, suicides and accidental deaths and any suspicious deaths.
The office served only Manhattan until 1891 when the city expanded. After the 1891 consolidation of New York City the office handled the outer boroughs, with each outer borough having two coroners. Coroners were elected at the same time as the Mayor of New York City for a term of four years and there was no requirement that the candidate had to be a physician. They could be removed from office by the Governor of New York.
If a coroner died in office, or was fired, or quits, someone was appointed to fill out their term. The coroners received a salary and also billed the city for services rendered for each autopsy and inquest.
By 1896 the Manhattan coroner was earning $6,000 per year, and in 1897 each inquest was billed at $8.50.
In 1915 a law was passed to abolished the office on January 1, 1918. It was replaced with the Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York. The medical examiner was to be a physician and no longer had the ability to hold inquests, which became the responsibility of the district attorney. Between 1898 when the city was consolidated and 1915 when the office went from coroner to medical examiner, 65 coroners had served in the position. Of them, nineteen were physicians, eight were undertakers, seven were politicians, six were real estate agents, two were saloon keepers, two were plumbers, one was a musician, one was a dentist, and one was a butcher.
Laws.
The New York statute of 1847 describes the Coroner's duties:
Whenever any coroner shall receive notice that any person has been slain, or has suddenly died, or has been dangerously wounded, or has been found dead under such circumstances as to require an inquisition, it shall be the duty of such Coroner to go to the place where such person shall be, and forthwith to summon a jury.
The laws covering deaths in New York City in 1865 was as follows:
The machinery of the law of New-York City about Coroners' inquests is arranged to take advantage of the insular situation of New-York. That is: First, it prohibits interments within the city, except in certain specified cases. Second, it prohibits anyone from conveying out of the city the body of anyone who has died within it, except under a permit from the City Inspector. Third, it directs the Inspector to grant such permit on receipt of a proper certificate, either from the Coroner or from the physician who attended the deceased; or if there was none, from some one of the family. Fourth, it specifies that the physician who makes such a certificate shall, among other things, specify 'the direct and indirect cause of the death of such person;' and that if the Coroner holds an inquest, he shall do the same in his certificate.
The "Government of the City of New York" official guide written by the New York City Commissioner of Accounts in 1917 describes the office as follows:
There are eleven Coroners in the City of New York — four for the Borough of Manhattan, two for The Bronx, two for Brooklyn, two for Queens and one for Richmond. The Coroners in each borough, except Richmond, constitute a Board of Coroners for the borough. Coroners are elected at the same time as the Mayor for a term of four years. They may be removed on charges by the Governor. The Coroner has jurisdiction over all homicide, suicide and accidental death cases and over all suspicious deaths, deaths in prison, and cases where the deceased was unattended by a physician. In cases of serious wounding the Coroner has jurisdiction to take an "ante-mortem" statement. The functions of the Coroner are threefold — medical investigation to determine the scientific cause of death, legal investigation to determine who caused the death, and judicial power to sit as a magistrate in homicide cases. The law requires the Coroner to summon a jury in cases where there is reasonable ground to believe that a homicide has been committed, and he may order the arrest of suspected persons. Each Coroner has a coroner's physician to assist him in medical investigations. He may subpoena witnesses and has power to order an autopsy and issues death certificates, upon which the Health Department grants burial permits. A law passed in 1915 provides for the abolishment of the office of Coroner on January 1, 1918, and the substitution of a Chief Medical Examiner for the entire city, with assistant medical examiners. The work of legal investigation is to be assumed by the District Attorneys, and the coroner's judicial function is to be performed by the City Magistrates. 
History.
Originally New York City had two elected coroners. Each coroner was assigned a physician and a clerk. In 1852 the number of coroners were doubled to four.
In 1896 Theodore Knapp Tuthill suggested doubling the number of New York County, New York, coroners from four to eight, and increasing the compensation for the coroners to attract more competent officials.
In 1898 New York City expanded from Manhattan to include Queens, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and The Bronx.
In 1903 senator Nathaniel A. Elsberg sought to abolish the office and set up a new one based on the medical examiner model used in Massachusetts. Each medical examiner would be appointed to a five-year term. The coroner would no longer have police power and judicial power. That role would be taken over by the New York County District Attorney and the Criminal Court of the City of New York.
By 1914-1915 there were eleven coroners serving the five boroughs of New York City with a budget of $170,000.
On January 1, 1918, the office was abolished and replaced with the Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York. Charles Norris (1867–1935) was the first non acting chief medical examiner in the newly established Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York.
Manhattan, New York City, had two coroners serving simultaneously until 1852, and four coroners after 1852. The aggregate of the coroners is called the Board of Coroners and is headed by the President of the Board of Coroners. The salary was $6,000 (approximately $ today) in 1898.
Two coroners serving simultaneously for Queens, New York City
Two coroners served simultaneously for The Bronx, New York City
Two coroners served simultaneously for Brooklyn, New York City. One served the eastern district and the other served the western district.
 Two coroners served in some years, and in other years a single coroner served Staten Island.
References.
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