Michael J. Sughrue
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Michael J. Sughrue (1857–1926) was an American attorney who served as District Attorney of
Suffolk County, Massachusetts Suffolk County is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 797,936, making it the fourth-most populous county in Massachusetts. The county comprises the cities of Boston, Chel ...
in 1905.


Early life

Sughrue was born on August 27, 1857, in
Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. Along with Manc ...
. During his youth, his family moved to Charlestown and attended
Boston Public Schools Boston Public Schools (BPS) is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest public school district in the state of Massachusetts. Leadership The district is led by a Superintendent, hired by the ...
. He returned to Nashua to attend Crosby Academy and in 1888 he graduated from the
Boston University School of Law 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 eli ...
. On June 22, 1891, he married Elizabeth F. Quinn of Boston. They had four sons and five daughters.


Legal career


District attorney

In 1891, Sughrue became an assistant district attorney under
Oliver Stevens Oliver Stevens (1825–1905) was an American attorney and politician who served as District Attorney of Suffolk County, Massachusetts from 1875 to 1905 and as president of the Boston Common Council in 1856 and 1857. Early life Stevens was bo ...
. He also worked as a librarian at the
Social Law Library The Social Law Library, founded in 1803, is the second oldest law library in the United States. It is located in the John Adams Courthouse at Pemberton Square in Boston, Massachusetts, the same building which houses the Massachusetts Supreme Judi ...
. On August 2, 1905, Stevens resigned and Governor William Lewis Douglas appointed Sughrue to succeed him. The
Massachusetts Governor's Council The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Council ...
suspended its rules and immediately confirmed Sughrue. He ran for a full term in 1906 and won both the Democratic and Republican nominations. However he lost to Independent candidate John B. Moran by 4,349 votes.


Private practice

Following his defeat, Sughrue became legal counsel for the
Boston Elevated Railway The Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) was a streetcar and rapid transit railroad operated on, above, and below, the streets of Boston, Massachusetts and surrounding communities. Founded in 1894, it eventually acquired the West End Street Railwa ...
. From 1907 to 1908 he was counsel for the Boston Finance Committee during its investigation into the purchase of supplies by the city. He left this position after he was appointed public administrator for Suffolk County by Governor
Curtis Guild Jr. Curtis Guild Jr. (February 2, 1860 – April 6, 1915) was an American journalist, soldier, diplomat and politician from Massachusetts. He was the 43rd Governor of Massachusetts, serving from 1906 to 1909. Prior to his election as governor, Guil ...
Sughrue died on April 15, 1926, at his home in Boston.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sughrue, Michael J. 1857 births 1926 deaths District attorneys in Suffolk County, Massachusetts Boston University School of Law alumni People from Nashua, New Hampshire Politicians from Boston Massachusetts Democrats Massachusetts Republicans 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers