John J. O'Connor (New York representative)
Appearance
John Joseph O'Connor | |
---|---|
16th district | |
In office November 6, 1923 – January 3, 1939 | |
Preceded by | William Bourke Cockran |
Succeeded by | James H. Fay |
Member of the New York State Assembly from the New York County, 12th district | |
In office January 1, 1921 – November 6, 1923 | |
Preceded by | Martin G. McCue |
Succeeded by | Paul T. Kammerer Jr. |
Personal details | |
Born | Harvard University School of Law | November 23, 1885
John Joseph O'Connor (November 23, 1885 – January 26, 1960) was an American lawyer and politician from New York City. From 1923 to 1939, he served eight terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
A leader of the conservative Democrats, he chaired the powerful House Rules Committee. President Franklin Roosevelt made him a major target of his purge of Democrats who opposed the New Deal, and he was defeated in 1938.[1]
Early life and education
O'Connor was born in
Harvard University School of Law
in 1911.
Political career
He was a member of the New York State Assembly (New York Co., 12th D.) in 1921, 1922 and 1923.
Tenure in Congress
He was elected as a
W. Bourke Cockran, and was re-elected to the seven succeeding Congresses, holding office from November 6, 1923, to January 3, 1939. He was a delegate at large to the 1936 Democratic National Convention. O'Connor was one of the few Democrats targeted in the 1938 primaries by Franklin D. Roosevelt to be defeated.[2] He eventually switched parties and was the Republican nominee but lost re-election.[3]
Rules chairman
He was chairman of the
New Deal Coalition, he mocked the poor people who “go to the public trough to be fed.”[4]
Death and burial
He died in Washington, and was interred at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Silver Spring, Maryland.[3]
References
- ^ Susan Dunn, Roosevelt's Purge: How FDR Fought to Change the Democratic Party (2010) pp. 202-213.
- ^ James T. Patterson, Congressional Conservatism and the New Deal: The Growth of the Conservative Coalition in Congress, 1933-1939 (Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky, 1967), pp. 278-290.
- ^ a b Dodge 2005, p. 1671.
- ^ Susan Dunn, Roosevelt's Purge: How FDR Fought to Change the Democratic Party (2010) p. 202.
Bibliography
- Dodge, Andrew R. (2005). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: 1774-2005. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780160731761.
- Polenberg, Richard. “Franklin Roosevelt and the Purge of John O’Connor: The Impact of Urban Change on Political Parties.” New York History 49#3 (1968), pp. 306–26, online
External links
Media related to John J. O'Connor (politician) at Wikimedia Commons
- United States Congress. "John J. O'Connor (id: O000030)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.