James Aloysius O'Leary (April 23, 1889 – March 16, 1944) was an American lawyer and businessman who served five terms as a
Democratic member of 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 ...
from
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
from 1935 to 1944.
Early life and career
O'Leary was born in
New Brighton, Staten Island
New Brighton is a neighborhood located on the North Shore, Staten Island, North Shore of Staten Island in New York City. The neighborhood comprises an older industrial and residential harbor front area along the Kill Van Kull west of St. George, ...
. He attended St. Peter's Academy, Augustinian Academy, and Westerleigh Collegiate Institute, and also studied law. He became active in the real estate and insurance businesses, and in 1917 he joined the North Shore Ice Company, of which he was general manager and vice president from 1920 to 1934.
Political career
He unsuccessfully ran for a
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate.
Partisan com ...
seat in 1930. He was elected to Congress in 1934 and served from January 3, 1935, until his death in 1944 in
West New Brighton, Staten Island
West New Brighton (also called West Brighton) is a neighborhood of Staten Island, New York City, situated along the central North Shore. The neighborhood is bordered by New Brighton to the east, Port Richmond to the west, the waters of the Kil ...
.
Family
His great-grandson,
Vito J. Fossella Jr., served as a
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 ...
member of the United States House of Representatives representing