Edmund W. Flynn (1890 – April 28, 1957) was the chief justice of the

Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by the Judicial No ...

from January 1, 1935 to April 28, 1957. Born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, the son of a police officer,"Edmund W. Flynn; R.I. Chief Justice", ''The Berkshire Eagle'' (April 29, 1957), p. 13. His two older brothers were John Flynn, who briefly played major league baseball, and

William S. Flynn William Smith Flynn (August 14, 1885April 13, 1966) of Providence, Rhode Island was the 54th Governor of Rhode Island from 1923 to 1925. He was a progressive Democrat. Personal life Flynn was born August 14, 1885 in South Providence to James A ...

, who became Governor of Rhode Island in 1923. Flynn graduated from the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest ...

and

Georgetown Law School The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and t ...

. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, he represented South Providence in the Rhode Island House of Representatives for five years, from 1931 to 1935, also running unsuccessfully for mayor of Providence in 1962. When his party unexpectedly gained control of the state legislature in 1935, in what was deemed the "Bloodless Revolution", the legislature appointed an entirely new state supreme court, with Flynn as chief justice."R. I. Republicans Left Groggy By Democratic Coup", ''St. Albans Daily Messenger'' (January 2, 1935), p. 7. Flynn served until his death, in Providence, at the age of 67, and was "the longest-tenured chief justice in Rhode Island history".

References

1890 births 1957 deaths Lawyers from Providence, Rhode Island College of the Holy Cross alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni Democratic Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Chief justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American judges {{RhodeIsland-state-judge-stub