Thomas E. Delahanty (July 26, 1914 – February 4, 1985) was a justice of the

Maine Supreme Judicial Court The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the state of Maine's judicial system. It is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate. From 1820 until 1839, justices served lifetime a ...

. He was appointed to the position on September 5, 1973 and later served as active retired from August 31, 1979 until his death.

Early life and education

Delahanty was the son of an Irish immigrant and working-class parents. He attended Lewiston High School where he excelled at

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

. He worked in local textile mills to earn money for law school. He earned a law degree from the Columbus School of Law. After an ulcer kept him out of the military 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 became a special agent for the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

Career

Delahanty was a delegate to

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 ...

from Maine in 1948. In 1954, he was a candidate for United States House of Representatives from

Maine's 2nd congressional district Maine's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Maine. Covering , it comprises nearly 80% of the state's total land area. The district comprises most of the land area north of the Portland and Augusta metro ...

Personal life

Thomas E. Delahanty was married to Jeanne Clifford who was the daughter of Judge

John David Clifford, Jr. John David Clifford Jr. (May 15, 1887 – November 18, 1956) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maine. Education and career Born in Lewiston, Maine, Clifford received an Artium Baccalau ...

, cousin to Judge Robert W. Clifford, and granddaughter of

John M. C. Smith John M. C. Smith (February 6, 1853 – March 30, 1923) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He served as U.S. Representative from Michigan's 3rd congressional district. Biography Smith was born in 1853 in Belfast on the Ireland, ...

, a

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

from Michigan's 3rd congressional district. Their eldest son, Thomas E. Delahanty II, was appointed as a justice of the

Maine Superior Court The Maine Superior Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction in the Maine state court system. All state jury trials are held in the Superior Court. The court is located in each of Maine's 16 counties (with two locations in Aroostook Count ...

References

1914 births 1985 deaths People from Lewiston, Maine Justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court 20th-century American judges Lewiston High School (Maine) alumni Federal Bureau of Investigation agents Maine Democrats {{US-state-judge-stub