J. Howard McGrath
Howard McGrath | |
---|---|
John O. Pastore | |
U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island | |
In office 1934–1940 | |
President | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
Preceded by | Henry Boss |
Succeeded by | George Troy |
Personal details | |
Born | James Howard McGrath November 28, 1903 Woonsocket, Rhode Island, U.S. |
Died | September 2, 1966 Narragansett, Rhode Island, U.S. | (aged 62)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Estelle Cadorette |
Children | 1 |
Education | Providence College (BA) Boston University (LLB) |
James Howard McGrath (November 28, 1903 – September 2, 1966) was an American politician and attorney from Rhode Island. McGrath, a
Early life
Born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. McGrath was the son of James J. McGrath and the former Ida E. May. He graduated from the La Salle Academy in 1922, attended Providence College, and went to the Boston University Law School in 1929. McGrath married Estelle A. Cadorette on November 28, 1929; they adopted a son. David.
From 1930 to 1934, he was the
Governor of Rhode Island
From 1941 to 1945, McGrath was Governor of Rhode Island, reorganizing the juvenile court system while sponsoring a workers' compensation fund and a labor relations board, but he resigned in the middle of his third term to accept appointment as Solicitor General of the United States (1945–1946). As governor, McGrath presided over a limited-purpose state constitutional convention in 1944.[3]
... convention convened at the Rhode Island College of Education auditorium in Providence, March 28, 1944 for the purpose of amending the State constitution to eliminate voting registration requirements by members of the armed forces, merchant marines or persons absent from the state performing services connecting with military operations. Delegate continent totaled 200 with Governor J. Howard McGrath serving as president & William A. Needham of Providence as Secretary. Proposal put before the voters at a special election held April 11, 1944. Amendment passed with 7,122 voting for & 119 against.
McGrath was elected as a
He was briefly chairman of the
Chairman of Democratic National Committee
He was chairman of the
Attorney General
Truman appointed McGrath
Alternative accounts have contradictorily suggested that after a meeting of the
McGrath entered the private practice of law in
McGrath died of a
There is a bust of Senator McGrath outside the House chamber in the Rhode Island State House.
Notes
- ^ See "J. Howard McGrath, Ex-Attorney General, Dies." The New York Times September 3, 1966.
- ^ Mulligan, Debra A. Democratic Repairman: The Political Life of J. Howard McGrath (2019).
- ^ Records Relating to Constitutional Convention (1944), at the Rhode Island State Archives, Rhode Island Secretary of State's Office (retrieved May 2, 2014)
- ^ a b "J. Howard McGrath" in West's Encyclopedia of American Law (1998)
- ^ Robert J. Donovan, Tumultuous Years: The Presidency of Harry S. Truman, 1949-1953. Vol. 2 (1982) pp 372-81.
- ^ Marcus, Truman and the Steel Seizure Case: The Limits of Presidential Power, 1977, p. 35-36.
References
- "J. Howard McGrath, Ex-Attorney General, Dies." The New York Times. September 3, 1966.
- Levieros, Anthony. "Upsets Come Fast; Resignation of McGrath Follows Quickly His Ousting of Morris." New York Times. April 4, 1952.
- Marcus, Maeva. Truman and the Steel Seizure Case: The Limits of Presidential Power. New York: Columbia University Press, 1977. ISBN 0-231-04126-8
- Mulligan, Debra A. Democratic Repairman: The Political Life of J. Howard McGrath (McFarland, 2019), scholarly biography. online.
- West's Encycylopedia of American Law provides more details than the other sources, especially about McGrath's early life, his commitment to civil rights and the financial scandals that touched him.