Walter Aloysius Lynch (July 7, 1894 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

– September 10, 1957 in

Belle Harbor, Queens Belle Harbor is a small residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, located on the western half of the Rockaway Peninsula, the southernmost area of the borough. Belle Harbor commonly refers to the area from Beach 126th to ...

) was an American lawyer and politician originally from New York. From 1940 to 1951, he served six terms in the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

Early life

Lynch attended the

Fordham Preparatory School Fordham Preparatory School (also known as Fordham Prep) is an American private, Jesuit, boys' college-preparatory school located on the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University in the Bronx, New York City. From its founding in 1841 until 1970, t ...

and subsequently graduated from

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

in 1915, followed by

Fordham University School of Law Fordham University School of Law is the law school of Fordham University. The school is located in Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city. In 2013, 91% of the law school's first-time test t ...

in 1918, afterwards practicing law in New York City.

Start of career

He served as a temporary

magistrate in 1930. In 1938 Lynch was delegate to the New York state constitutional convention.

Congressman

He was elected

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 ...

to the

76th United States Congress The 76th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1939, ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Edward W. Curley, and was re-elected to the 77th, 78th, 79th, 80th and

81st United States Congress The 81st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 194 ...

es, serving from February 20, 1940, to January 3, 1951. Lynch was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of 1944 and 1948.

Candidate for governor

In 1950, Lynch was the Democratic nominee for

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has ...

, and was defeated in a landslide by the incumbent Governor

Thomas E. Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer, prosecutor, and politician who served as the 47th governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican candidate for president in 1944 and 1948: although ...

Later career

In 1952, Lynch served as chairman of the

New York State Democratic Committee The New York State Democratic Committee is the affiliate of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Its headquarters are in Manhattan, and it has an office in Albany, New York, Alba ...

. Lynch was elected to the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

in 1954, and served from January 1955 until his death.

Death and burial

Lynch died at his summer home in

. He wa buried at

Gate of Heaven Cemetery Gate of Heaven Cemetery, approximately 25 miles (40 km) north of New York City, was established in 1917 at 10 West Stevens Ave. in Hawthorne, Westchester County, New York, as a Roman Catholic burial site. Among its famous residents is ...

Hawthorne, New York Hawthorne is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 4,586 at the 2010 census. History The village was originally known as Hammond's Mill ...

Family

In 1920, Lynch married Claire Rosemary Mitchell (1895-1985). They were the parents of sons Walter A. Lynch Jr. (1921-2017) and John Joseph Lynch (1928-1995).

Sources

Walter A. Lynch
at The Political Graveyard {{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Walter Aloysius 1894 births 1957 deaths Fordham University alumni Fordham University School of Law alumni Public officeholders of Rockaway, Queens New York Supreme Court Justices Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 20th-century American judges 20th-century American politicians Fordham Preparatory School alumni