George Donoghue O'Brien (January 1, 1900 – October 25, 1957) was a politician from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

who served as a member of the

U.S. 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

on three separate occasions.

Early life and education

O'Brien was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, where he attended the University of Detroit Jesuit High School. During the

First World War 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 ...

, O'Brien served as a private and was assigned to the Students' Training Corps. He graduated from the

University of Detroit The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Roman Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catholic universi ...

in 1921 and also graduated from the University of Detroit Law School in 1924. He was admitted to the bar in 1924 and commenced practice in Detroit.

Tenure in Congress

In 1936, O'Brien defeated incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

U.S. Representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Clarence J. McLeod Clarence John McLeod (July 3, 1895 – May 15, 1959) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. McLeod was born in Detroit, the son of a well-to-do Scottish father who had serve ...

to be elected 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 ...

from

Michigan's 13th congressional district Michigan's 13th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Wayne County, Michigan. It is currently represented by Democrat Shri Thanedar. The district includes portions of Detroit and some of its suburbs, and it was t ...

to the

75th Congress The 75th 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, DC from January 3, 1937 ...

, serving from January 3, 1937, to January 3, 1939. He lost to McLeod in 1938, but defeated McLeod again in 1940 to be elected to the

77th Congress The 77th 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, DC from January 3, 1941, ...

, and subsequently re-elected to the 78th and 79th Congresses, serving from January 3, 1941, to January 3, 1947. In 1946, he lost to Republican

Howard Aldridge Coffin Howard Aldridge Coffin (June 11, 1877 – February 28, 1956) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Biography Coffin was born in Middleborough, Massachusetts and attended the Vermont Academy at Saxtons River. He graduated from Brown ...

, but defeated Coffin in 1948 to be elected to the 81st Congress and subsequently re-elected to the 82nd and 83rd Congresses, serving from January 3, 1949, to January 3, 1955. In 1954, he was defeated in the Democratic Party primary elections by Charles C. Diggs, Jr., who went on to win the general election. O'Brien was chairman of the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads during the 75th Congress and a delegate to the 1944 Democratic National Convention in 1944. He also was an unsuccessful candidate for circuit judge of Michigan's 3rd Circuit in 1947.

Life after Congress

After leaving Congress, O'Brien served as assistant corporation counsel of the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, assigned to the Civil Proceedings Division from July 11, 1955, until his death in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He is interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan.

References

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, George Donoghue 1900 births 1957 deaths Burials in Michigan University of Detroit Mercy alumni University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan American people of Irish descent American Roman Catholics Lawyers from Detroit Politicians from Detroit 20th-century American politicians