Joseph C. O'Mahoney
Encyclopedia
Joseph Christopher O'Mahoney (November 5, 1884 December 1, 1962) was a Democratic United States Senator from Wyoming
.
O'Mahoney was born in Chelsea
, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, November 5, 1884. He attended the parochial
and public schools and Columbia University
, New York City
. He moved to Boulder, Colorado
in 1908 and engaged as a reporter on the Boulder Herald; moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming
in 1916 and served as city editor of the Cheyenne State Leader.
O'Mahoney was executive secretary to Senator John B. Kendrick
1917 – 1920. He graduated from the Georgetown University Law School, Washington, D.C.
, in 1920. He was admitted to the bar in 1920 and commenced practice in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Washington, D.C.
. He was a member of conference on uniform State laws 1925 – 1926 and a city attorney
of Cheyenne, Wyoming from 1929 – 1931.
O'Mahoney was a Democratic National Committee
man from 1929 – 1934. He was appointed First Assistant Postmaster General
in 1933 and served until December 31, 1933, when he resigned to become a Senator. He was appointed on December 18, 1933 as a Democrat
to the United States Senate
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John B. Kendrick, and elected on November 6, 1934, to fill this vacancy and also for the term commencing January 3, 1935. He was reelected in 1940 and again in 1946, and served from January 1, 1934, to January 3, 1953.
O'Mahoney was chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs (78th
and 79th congresses
), Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs (81st
and 82nd congresses
), co-chairman of the Joint Committee on the Economic Report (81st
and 82nd congresses
); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1952; elected on November 2, 1954, to fill the vacancy caused by the suicide death of Lester C. Hunt
, and also elected for the full term commencing January 3, 1955, and served from November 29, 1954, to January 3, 1961; was not a candidate for renomination in 1960; resumed the practice of law in Washington, D.C., and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
O'Mahoney died in the naval hospital, Bethesda, Maryland
on December 1, 1962. His remains are interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
.
O'Mahoney was born in Chelsea
Chelsea, Massachusetts
Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. It is the smallest city in Massachusetts in land area, and the 26th most densely populated incorporated place in the country.-History:...
, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, November 5, 1884. He attended the parochial
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
and public schools and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He moved to Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
in 1908 and engaged as a reporter on the Boulder Herald; moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
in 1916 and served as city editor of the Cheyenne State Leader.
O'Mahoney was executive secretary to Senator John B. Kendrick
John B. Kendrick
John Benjamin Kendrick was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Wyoming.Kendrick was born near Rusk, Texas, where he attended the public schools, and then moved to Wyoming in 1879 and settled on a ranch near Sheridan, where he raised cattle.He was a member of the State...
1917 – 1920. He graduated from the Georgetown University Law School, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in 1920. He was admitted to the bar in 1920 and commenced practice in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. He was a member of conference on uniform State laws 1925 – 1926 and a city attorney
City attorney
A city attorney can be an elected or appointed position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the city or municipality....
of Cheyenne, Wyoming from 1929 – 1931.
O'Mahoney was a Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
man from 1929 – 1934. He was appointed First Assistant Postmaster General
United States Postmaster General
The United States Postmaster General is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
in 1933 and served until December 31, 1933, when he resigned to become a Senator. He was appointed on December 18, 1933 as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John B. Kendrick, and elected on November 6, 1934, to fill this vacancy and also for the term commencing January 3, 1935. He was reelected in 1940 and again in 1946, and served from January 1, 1934, to January 3, 1953.
O'Mahoney was chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs (78th
78th United States Congress
The Seventy-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1943 to January 3, 1945, during the last two years...
and 79th congresses
79th United States Congress
The Seventy-ninth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1945 to January 3, 1947, during the last months of...
), Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs (81st
81st United States Congress
The Eighty-first United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives...
and 82nd congresses
82nd United States Congress
The Eighty-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1951 to January 3, 1953, during the last two years...
), co-chairman of the Joint Committee on the Economic Report (81st
81st United States Congress
The Eighty-first United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives...
and 82nd congresses
82nd United States Congress
The Eighty-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1951 to January 3, 1953, during the last two years...
); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1952; elected on November 2, 1954, to fill the vacancy caused by the suicide death of Lester C. Hunt
Lester C. Hunt
Lester Callaway Hunt was a Democratic politician and dentist from the state of Wyoming. He served as the 19th Governor of Wyoming from 1943 to 1949 and as United States Senator from January 3, 1949 until his suicide on June 19, 1954....
, and also elected for the full term commencing January 3, 1955, and served from November 29, 1954, to January 3, 1961; was not a candidate for renomination in 1960; resumed the practice of law in Washington, D.C., and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
O'Mahoney died in the naval hospital, Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
on December 1, 1962. His remains are interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Cheyenne, Wyoming.
External links
- Joseph C. O'Mahoney papers at the University of WyomingUniversity of WyomingThe University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
- American Heritage CenterAmerican Heritage CenterThe American Heritage Center is the University of Wyoming's repository of manuscripts, rare books, and the university archives. Its collections focus on Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West and a select handful of national topics: environment and conservation, the mining and petroleum industries,...