Thomas Francis Grady (November 29, 1853 – February 3, 1912) was an American lawyer and politician from

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Life

Thomas F. Grady was born in

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on November 29, 1853. He attended St. James Parochial School from 1857 to 1863,

De La Salle Institute English: Sign of Faith , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic( De La Salle Brothers} , patron = , established = , founder = Brother Adjutor of Mary, FSC , status = Open ...

from 1863 to 1867, and graduated from

Manhattan College Manhattan College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts university in the Bronx, New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers) as an academy for day students, it was la ...

. Then he worked for D. Appleton & Co., was Recording Clerk in the County Clerk's office in 1874, and began to study law. Then he worked in the Corporation Counsel's office, collecting evidence relative to the fraudulent claims of the Tweed era. He graduated from the

New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in New ...

in 1877, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in New York City. In politics he always was a

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

man. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

(New York Co., 2nd D.) in

1877 Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed ''Empress of India'' by the ''Royal Titles Act 1876'', introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great Sio ...

1878 Events January–March * January 5 – Russo-Turkish War – Battle of Shipka Pass IV: Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire. * January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy. * January 17 – Battle o ...

and

1879 Events January–March * January 1 – The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. * January 11 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins. * Janu ...

; and a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(6th D.) in

1882 Events January–March * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in ...

and

1883 Events January–March * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * Ja ...

. In 1883, State Senator Grady and Governor

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

became political enemies, and Cleveland asked Tammany boss

John Kelly John or Jack Kelly may refer to: People Academics and scientists * John Kelly (engineer), Irish professor, former Registrar of University College Dublin *John Kelly (scholar) (1750–1809), at Douglas, Isle of Man *John Forrest Kelly (1859–1922) ...

not to re-nominate Grady for the State Senate. Grady was a delegate to the

1884 Democratic National Convention The 1884 Democratic National Convention was held July 8–11, 1884 and chose Governor Grover Cleveland of New York their presidential nominee with the former Governor Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana as the vice presidential nominee.World Book Bac ...

and worked hard against Cleveland's nomination for U.S. President. During the following presidential campaign, Grady supported Benjamin F. Butler, the candidate of the Greenback and

Anti-Monopoly ''Anti-Monopoly'' is a board game made by San Francisco State University Professor Ralph Anspach in response to ''Monopoly''. The idea of an anti-monopoly board game dates to 1903 and the original Monopoly created by Lizzie Magie. Background ...

parties. In 1887, he secretly married actress Flo Irwin (Adeline Flora Campbell, 1859–1930, the sister of

May Irwin May Irwin (born Georgina May Campbell; June 27, 1862 – October 22, 1938) was an actress, singer and star of vaudeville. Originally from Canada, she and her sister Flo Irwin found theater work after their father died. She was known for her per ...

), and they later divorced. Grady was again a member of the State Senate (6th D.) in

1889 Events January–March * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in the ...

, and a Police Justice from 1891 to 1895. He was again a member of the State Senate (14th D.) from 1896 until his death, sitting in the 119th, 120th, 121st, 122nd, 123rd, 124th, 125th, 126th, 127th, 128th, 129th, 130th, 131st, 132nd, 133rd and

134th New York State Legislature The 134th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4 to October 6, 1911, during the first year of John Alden Dix's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provi ...

s. He was the Democratic minority leader from 1899 to 1910. The Democrats were in the majority in 1911, and Grady expected to be chosen

President pro tempore A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...

, but was embittered when Tammany boss

Charles Francis Murphy Charles Francis "Silent Charlie" Murphy (June 20, 1858 – April 25, 1924), also known as Boss Murphy, was an American political figure. He was also the longest-serving head of New York City's Tammany Hall, a position he served from 1902 to 192 ...

selected Robert F. Wagner instead. Due to his illness, Grady did not take his seat in the

135th New York State Legislature The 135th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3 to March 29, 1912, during the second year of John Alden Dix's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provi ...

. He died on February 3, 1912, at his home at 151 East 30th Street, in Manhattan, of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

, was buried at the Calvary Cemetery in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

References

Sources

''Civil List and Constitutional History of the Colony and State of New York''
compiled by Edgar Albert Werner (1884; pg. 291 and 377)
''The State Government for 1879''
by

Charles G. Shanks Charles Gove Shanks (1841 – July 24, 1895) was an associate editor of the ''Louisville Journal''. In New York (state), New York he worked for the ''New York Star (1800s newspaper), New York Star'' and the ''Times Union (Albany), Albany Tim ...

(Weed, Parsons & Co, Albany, 1879; pg. 104)
''SENATOR T. F. GRADY, FAMED ORATOR, DEAD''
in NYT on February 4, 1912 {{DEFAULTSORT:Grady, Thomas F 1853 births 1912 deaths Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Politicians from New York City New York (state) state court judges Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly New York University School of Law alumni Deaths from diabetes Manhattan College alumni Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Queens) Lawyers from New York City 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers