Thomas Fanning Donovan (December 17, 1869 – November 17, 1946) was an American politician, businessman, and lawyer. Donovan was born in Charlotte, Illinois on a farm to parents Patrick and Rachael (Purcell) Donovan and had seven siblings. He was educated in the public schools in

Chatsworth, Illinois Chatsworth is an incorporated town in Livingston County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,332 at the 2020 census. Geography Chatsworth is located in southeastern Livingston County at (40.754256, -88.293023). The town is in northern ...

Livingston County, Illinois Livingston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 35,815. Its county seat is Pontiac. Livingston County comprises the Pontiac, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is c ...

. He then received his bachelor's degree from

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is a Lutheran university with about 3,000 students from over 50 countries on a campus of . Originally named Valparaiso Male and Female College, Valparaiso Universit ...

in 1893 and then taught school in Danforth, Illinois. He then studied law and was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1895. He was the city attorney of

Kankakee, Illinois Kankakee is a city in and the county seat of Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. As of 2020, the city's population was 24,052. Kankakee is a principal city of the Kankakee-Bourbonnais-Bradley Metropolitan Statistical Area. It serves as an ...

and then was involved in the banking business in

Joliet, Illinois Joliet ( ) is a city in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the cit ...

. He also chairman of the Joliet Police and Fire Commission and was involved with the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. In 1924, Donovan ran for

Illinois attorney general The Illinois Attorney General is the highest legal officer of the state of Illinois in the United States. Originally an appointed office, it is now an office filled by statewide election. Based in Chicago and Springfield, Illinois, the attorney ...

and lost the election. From 1933 to 1937, Donovan served as lieutenant governor of Illinois. He died in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

.'T.F. Donovan, Long Prominent Democrat, Dies,' Chicago Tribune, November 18, 1946, pg. 22

Personal life

In 1894 Donovan married Alice Aaron. The couple had two daughters, Grace and Gertrude, before Alice died in 1901. In 1905 he married Gertrude M. Nugent and they had two sons, Thomas J. and James. Donovan was a member of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

, and the

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

Notes

1869 births 1946 deaths People from Livingston County, Illinois Valparaiso University alumni Educators from Illinois Illinois lawyers Illinois Democrats Lieutenant Governors of Illinois People from Joliet, Illinois Catholics from Illinois {{Illinois-politician-stub