Matthew Henry McCloskey Jr. (February 26, 1893 – April 26, 1973) was a

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

businessman and Democratic fundraiser who served as

United States Ambassador to Ireland The United States Ambassador to Ireland is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the United States of America to Ireland. It is considered a highly prestigious position within the United States Foreign Service. The current ambassa ...

from 1962 to 1964.

Biography

McCloskey was born in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, and moved to

with his family when he was two years old. At the age of 15 he left school and started working in construction; after a few years he started his own company. Buildings by the McCloskey Construction Company include the

Rayburn House Office Building The Rayburn House Office Building (RHOB) is a congressional office building for the U.S. House of Representatives in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., between South Capitol Street and First Street. Rayburn is named after forme ...

and

District of Columbia Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about due east of the United States Capitol, U.S. Capit ...

(now RFK Stadium).

Democratic Party

McCloskey was an active

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 ...

and was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in 1936, 1940, 1944 and 1948. In 1955, he became Treasurer of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

, a role he held until 1962. He is credited with inventing $100-a-plate fundraising dinners.

Ambassador to Ireland

In 1962, McCloskey was appointed ambassador to Ireland by

President Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

. After confirmation by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, he presented his credentials to Irish leaders on July 19, 1962, and had the official title of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

Resignation

In early 1964, it was reported that McCloskey would resign his Ireland post in order to assist with fundraising for that year's

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

. Shortly thereafter, his construction firm was named in a lawsuit alleging defective work during construction of a hospital 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 ...

, and in an

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

investigation into the awarding of contracts for District of Columbia Stadium work. His resignation as ambassador became official on June 7, 1964.

Personal life

McCloskey and his wife had six children, including

Thomas McCloskey Thomas D. McCloskey (May 27, 1924 – October 31, 2004) was a Philadelphia construction magnate. He became the president of McCloskey & Company, Builders, in 1961 when his father, former Democratic National Treasurer Matthew H. McCloskey, was appoi ...

who succeeded his father in running the construction company. McCloskey died in Philadelphia in April 1973.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCloskey, Matthew Henry 1893 births 1973 deaths Businesspeople from Wheeling, West Virginia Ambassadors of the United States to Ireland 20th-century American businesspeople Democratic National Committee treasurers