Edward Lawrence Leahy (February 9, 1886 – July 22, 1953) was an American attorney serving as

United States Senator 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 powe ...

from

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island (in case citations, D.R.I.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Rhode Island. The District Court was created in 1790 when Rhode Island ratified th ...

Education and career

Born in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, Leahy attended the public schools and attended Brown University in 1904 and 1905. He received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

from

Georgetown Law 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 a ...

in 1908 and was admitted to the Rhode Island bar the same year. He was in private practice of law in Bristol starting in 1908. He was a judge of the

Probate Court A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

in Bristol from 1910 to 1939. He was elected to the Bristol school committee in 1913. He was a member of the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is composed of 75 members, elected ...

from 1911 to 1913. He served as a master of chancery for the

Rhode Island Superior Court The Rhode Island Superior Court is the state trial court of general jurisdiction in Rhode Island. Jurisdiction The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in all felony proceedings, civil matters with an amount in controversy in excess of $10,000, ...

. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

as a lieutenant in the Judge Advocate General's Department during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was administrator of state taxes for Rhode Island from 1919 to 1948. He was director of the State Department of Revenue and Regulation for Rhode Island in 1939. He was a member and director of finance for the Rhode Island State

Sinking Fund A sinking fund is a fund established by an economic entity by setting aside revenue over a period of time to fund a future capital expense, or repayment of a long-term debt. In North America and elsewhere where it is common for public and priva ...

Commission from 1942 to 1946. He was a member of the Rhode Island State Retirement Board from 1942 to 1946. He was an adviser for the Rhode Island State Department of Finance from 1948 to 1949. He was

from Rhode Island from 1949 to 1950.

Congressional service

Leahy was appointed on August 24, 1949, as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

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 ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

J. Howard McGrath James Howard McGrath (November 28, 1903September 2, 1966) was an American politician and attorney from Rhode Island. McGrath, a Democrat, served as U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island before becoming governor, U.S. Solicitor General, U.S. Sen ...

and served from August 24, 1949, to December 18, 1950, a successor having been elected and qualified. He was not a candidate for election to the vacancy.

Federal judicial service

Leahy was nominated by President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

on December 21, 1950, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge John Patrick Hartigan. He was confirmed by the

on January 2, 1951, and received his commission on January 3, 1951. His service was terminated on July 22, 1953, due to his death in Bristol. He was interred in North Cemetery.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leahy, Edward 1886 births 1953 deaths Rhode Island state court judges Democratic Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives United States Army officers Brown University alumni Democratic Party United States senators from Rhode Island Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island United States district court judges appointed by Harry S. Truman 20th-century American judges Georgetown University Law Center alumni People from Bristol, Rhode Island