George F. Monahan (January 20, 1867 – May 7, 1929) was an American politician who served in the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the ...

Early life

Monahan was born on January 20, 1867, in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. He attended St. Mary's School for many years before leaving to work in a cigar factory.

Business career

In 1890, Monahan opened a saloon on Friend Street in Boston. He later operated a bar at 20 Marshall Street. When the

Wartime Prohibition Act In the United States from 1920 to 1933, a nationwide constitutional law prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. The alcohol industry was curtailed by a succession of state legislatures, and ...

went into effect on July 1, 1919, Monahan continued to serve beer in violation of the act. His was the only Boston bar to remain open after the act took effect. Monahan also worked as a bail bondsman. During his first campaign for state senate, he provided $35,000 in bail for 12 men accused of illegal naturalization as well as actor Eben Plympton. Monahan's bailing out of the naturalization defendants was used in support of his candidacy. Shortly after his defeat, Monahan turned over the defendants and they were placed into custody until trial. Monahan was also involved in the real estate and insurance fields.

Politics

In 1905, Monahan narrowly lost the Democratic nomination for the 2nd Suffolk seat in the Massachusetts Senate to incumbent James J. Mellen. He was elected to the senate in 1907 and represented the 2nd Suffolk district in the

1908 Massachusetts legislature The 129th Massachusetts General Court, consisting of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives, met in 1908 during the Governor of Massachusetts, governorship of Curtis Guild Jr. William D. Chapple served as Presiden ...

. He was a Democratic candidate for Governor in the

1919 Massachusetts gubernatorial election The 1919 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1919. This was the last gubernatorial election before the governor's term was extended to two years and the first election following the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment t ...

. He finished third in the Democratic primary with 12% of the vote. In 1922, Monahan was a candidate for 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 ...

seat in

Massachusetts's 10th congressional district Massachusetts's 10th congressional district was a small district that included parts of the South Shore of Massachusetts, and all of Cape Cod and the islands. The district had existed since 1795, but was removed for the 113th Congress in 2013 a ...

, but withdrew.

Death

Monahan on May 7, 1929, at his home in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

. He was survived by his wife, two sons, and two daughters. He was buried in

Holyhood Cemetery Holyhood Cemetery is a cemetery located in Brookline, Massachusetts. Description Laid out in 1857, the cemetery was designed to reflect the rural cemetery movement begun at Cambridge's Mount Auburn Cemetery. It was the first such cemetery in B ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monahan, George F. 1867 births 1929 deaths Burials at Holyhood Cemetery (Brookline) Democratic Party Massachusetts state senators Politicians from Boston Saloonkeepers