Leo William O'Brien (September 21, 1900 – May 4, 1982) was an American journalist, radio and television commentator, and politician. 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 ...

, he was most notable for his service as a 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from New York for 14 years (1952-1966).

Early life

Nicknamed "Obie," O'Brien was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. He graduated from Niagara University in 1922. O'Brien worked as a newspaper journalist for the

International News Service The International News Service (INS) was a U.S.-based news agency (newswire) founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.

, and Albany Knickerbocker Press and Times-Union. He later became a radio and television commentator. From 1935 to 1952 he was a member of the

Port of Albany The Port of Albany is located within Princess Royal Harbour in King George Sound on the south coast of Western Australia, in the Great Southern region. Location The port is located on the northern shore of Princess Royal Harbour, a natural ...

District Commission.

Congressman

In 1952 he was the successful Democratic nominee for the

seat left vacant by the death of

William T. Byrne William Thomas Byrne (March 6, 1876 – January 27, 1952) was an attorney and politician from Albany, New York. He was most notable for his service in the New York State Senate (1923-1936) and a United States Representative from United States ...

. He was reelected seven times and served from April 1, 1952 until resigning on December 30, 1966, a few days before the end of his final term. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1966. As a member of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, O'Brien was a leading advocate for

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

statehood. He also helped create the

Fire Island National Seashore Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) is a United States National Seashore that protects a section of Fire Island, an approximately long and wide barrier island separated from Long Island by the Great South Bay. The island is part of New York S ...

, and strongly advocated cleanup of the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

and protecting it as a scenic waterway.

Later life

After leaving Congress O'Brien served as Chairman of the Albany County Planning Board and the Adirondack Study Commission. He died at St. Peter's Hospital in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...

on May 4, 1982. He was buried at St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands.

Family

O'Brien married Mabel C. Jean in 1925. They were the parents of a son, Robert.

Legacy

Federal building

The United States federal building in

is named after for O'Brien. It is located at the corner of Clinton Avenue and North Pearl Street, and contains facilities including a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS).

Honorary degrees

In 1959, O'Brien received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

from the

University of Alaska Fairbanks The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public land-grant research university in College, Alaska, a suburb of Fairbanks. It is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system. UAF was established in 1917 and opened for c ...

in recognition of his efforts to promote Alaska statehood. In 1960, O'Brien received an honorary

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Docto ...

degree from Niagara University. In 1961, he received an honorary LL.D. from Siena College. In May 1966, O'Brien received an honorary

Doctor of Humane Letters The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (; DHumLitt; DHL; or LHD) is an honorary degree awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society. The criteria for awarding the degree differ ...

degree from the

Albany College of Pharmacy Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (formerly Albany College of Pharmacy) is a private, independent college with campuses in Albany, New York and Colchester, Vermont. ACPHS was named the #1 Value-Added college or university in the cou ...

Other

As additional recognition of his Alaska statehood efforts, in 1964 the state government named Mount Terrance, a mountain near

Haines, Alaska Haines (Tlingit: ''Deishú'') is a census-designated place located in Haines Borough, Alaska, United States. It is in the northern part of the Alaska Panhandle, near Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. As of the 2020 census, the populat ...

after O'Brien's 10-year-old grandson.