Dennis Thomas Flynn (February 13, 1861 – June 19, 1939) was an

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politician and a

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from

Oklahoma Territory The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as th ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

Biography

Flynn was born in

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania Phoenixville is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia at the junction of French Creek (Schuylkill River tributary), French Creek and ...

, on February 13, 1861, son of Dennis T. and Margaret (Clancy) Flynn. He moved with his mother to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, in 1863. There, he became an

orphan An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

at the age of three when his mother died. He was raised in a

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orphanage where he remained until 1880. He attended

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary o ...

and then

Canisius College Canisius College is a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 master's ...

in Buffalo.Carney, George O
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. "Flynn, Dennis Thomas (1861-1939)".
Retrieved December 6, 2013. He married Addie M. Blanton in 1887. Mrs. Flynn was born, reared and educated in Kansas. She was married to Mr. Flynn in Kiowa, Kansas, while he was a practicing lawyer there. In 1889 Flynn was appointed by President Harrison Postmaster of the City of Gutherie, Oklahoma, and the family moved to that place. Mrs. Flynn is the mother of four children; her oldest son, Dennis, died when quite young; surviving a daughter, Dorothy, a son, Streeter Flynn, and another son.

Career

After college, Flynn moved to

Riverside, Iowa Riverside is a city in rural Washington County, Iowa, Washington County, Iowa, United States, along the English River (Iowa), English River on Iowa Highway 22. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical ...

, where he established and edited the ''Riverside Leader'' and studied law. He was admitted to the Iowa

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in 1882 and commenced practice in

Kiowa, Kansas Kiowa is a city in Barber County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 902. It is located 1 mile north of the Kansas / Oklahoma state border. History 19th century Kiowa was founded in 1872. It was na ...

. There, he was the publisher of the ''Kiowa Herald'' and served as first

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

of Kiowa from December 5, 1884, to July 17, 1885. He would then serve as the Kiowa

city attorney A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city at ...

from 1886 to 1889. Flynn then moved to

where he served as the postmaster of Guthrie from April 4, 1889, to December 20, 1892. A

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, he was an unsuccessful candidate for election as the Territorial Delegate to the United States House of Representatives in 1890. He ran again and was elected as the Territorial Delegate to the

Fifty-third Congress The 53rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1893, ...

and began his term on March 4, 1893 and was reelected in 1894. Flynn was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1896. Flynn ran for office again in 1898 and was elected to the

Fifty-sixth Congress The 56th 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, D.C. from March 4, 1899, ...

. His term began on March 4, 1899 and he was reelected on 1900. Nominated but declining to be a candidate for reelection in 1902, he left office when his term ended on March 3, 1903. He resumed private practice in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

in 1904. He was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for election to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1908, losing to the Democratic candidate,

Thomas P. Gore Thomas Pryor Gore (December 10, 1870March 16, 1949) was an American politician who served as one of the first two United States senators from Oklahoma, from 1907 to 1921 and again from 1931 to 1937. He first entered politics as an activist for ...

. He was considered for the position of Secretary of the Interior under President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

. He served as a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

in 1912, his last participation in politics.

Death

Flynn died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on June 19, 1939 (age 78 years, 126 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

at Fairlawn Cemetery in Oklahoma City.

References

External links

* *
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Flynn, Dennis

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flynn, Dennis 1861 births 1939 deaths People from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania Politicians from Buffalo, New York Canisius College alumni Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma Territory Politicians from Oklahoma City Kansas lawyers Oklahoma lawyers Oklahoma Republicans Kansas Republicans Lawyers from Oklahoma City People from Kiowa, Kansas Lawyers from Buffalo, New York