James Henry Vahey (1900–1949) was an American lawyer and political figure who served as chairman of the

Massachusetts Democratic State Committee The Massachusetts Democratic Party (MassDems) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is chaired by Gus Bickford. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling all nine of Massachusetts' U.S ...

Early life

Vahey was born on June 29, 1900, in

Watertown, Massachusetts Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and is part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Square, and the West End. Watertown ...

. His father, James H. Vahey Sr., was a prominent attorney and two time Democratic nominee for

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachusetts ...

. 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 ...

, Vahey served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

as a quartermaster. He graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1922 and

Boston University Law School Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an e ...

in 1925.

Legal career

After law school, Vahey worked in his father's law office. Following his death in 1929, the younger Vahey took over the firm and also succeed his father as counsel for the Boston Street Carmen's Union and general counsel for the

Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) is a labor organization in the United States and Canada that represents employees in the public transit industry. Established in 1892 as the Amalgamated Association of Street Railway Employees of America, the un ...

. He later succeeded

Frederick Mansfield Frederick William Mansfield (March 26, 1877 – November 6, 1958) was an American politician and 46th mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. Early life Mansfield was born in East Boston, Massachusetts, March 26, 1877. Mansfield was the son of Michael R ...

as counsel for the Massachusetts Federation of Labor. During his career, Vahey represented as many as forty labor unions. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he served as chief counsel for the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

offices in the Secretary of War and

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

's office. He was tasked with reviewing the service records of discharged servicemen as part of the

G.I. Bill The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...

. He was responsible for getting the military to revise the records of pilots who broke down after many missions over enemy territory. In 1946 he was appointed assistant corporation counsel for the city of

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 ...

Party chairman

In 1948, Vahey was a leader of

Paul A. Dever Paul Andrew Dever (January 15, 1903April 11, 1958) was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served as the 58th Governor of Massachusetts and was its youngest-ever Attorney General. Among his notable accomplishments ...

gubernatorial campaign and

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 ...

's presidential campaign in Massachusetts. Following Dever's election he and his chief secretary

J. John Fox J. John Fox (d. October 4, 1999 in Needham, Massachusetts) was an American judge known for his central role in the founding of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts. Biography Fox was born John Fox in Paterso ...

, both former law school classmates of Vahey's, backed him for chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee. He was elected on February 19, 1949. His tenure as chairman was short however, as Vahey died suddenly on November 3, 1949, after a brief illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vahey Jr., James H. 1900 births 1949 deaths American labor lawyers Boston University School of Law alumni Massachusetts Democratic Party chairs Massachusetts lawyers People from Watertown, Massachusetts Politicians from Boston Princeton University alumni Amalgamated Transit Union people 20th-century American lawyers