His father, Michael, had been a master carpenter in Ireland, but in New York City, he worked as the manager of a hotel on Broadway.

Upon his father's death, Daly was unwilling to rely on a widowed stepmother, leading him to leave school and earn a living.

When he returned to New York in 1832, he became a mechanical trade apprentice for a quill manufacturer,[2] and joined a literary society where he learned how to debate.

The following year, Judge William Inglis' term on the New York Court of Common Pleas expired.

[10] Called an "armchair explorer" by some, Daly was elected as an Ordinary Member to the American Geographical Society on February 16, 1855,[11] to the Governing Board in 1858, and to its presidency in 1864, a position he held until his death in 1899.

She was active in the Democratic Party, the Women's Central Association for the Relief for the Army,[6] and the New York Botanical Garden.

[16] Like his wife, Daly died in North Haven in 1899, rather than at their home in New York City at 84 Clifton Place.

[10] Daly's papers, military record, lectures and diaries were donated to the New York Public Library by Emma.

[6] A portrait of Daly, painted by Daniel Huntington, hangs at the courtroom of what was the New York Court of Common Pleas.