William J. Flynn (1926–2018) was an American businessman and activist for peace in Northern Ireland. Flynn was born in Manhattan on 6 September 1926. After he married Peggy he settled in

Garden City, New York Garden City is a village located on Long Island in Nassau County New York. It is the Greater Garden City area's anchor community. The population was 23,272 at the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Garden City is primarily located within ...

where they had four children. After initially training for the priesthood he obtained a degree in economics 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 ...

. He became president, CEO and chairman of the board of Manhattan-based

Mutual of America Mutual may refer to: *Mutual organization, where as customers derive a right to profits and votes *Mutual information, the intersection of multiple information sets *Mutual insurance, where policyholders have certain "ownership" rights in the orga ...

Life Insurance which grew from a small retirement association to a Fortune 1000 mutual company. He oriented Mutual towards the non-profit sector. It now provides pension plans for the employees of more than 15,000 charities throughout America. He was responsible for the establishment of the Mutual of America Building at 320 Park Avenue. He was also on the boards of many nonprofits including the

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more than ...

Foundation, and the

Catholic Health Association of the United States The Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA), formerly the Catholic Hospital Association of the United States and Canada, is a Catholic professional association comprising more than 600 hospitals and 1,400 long-term care and other hea ...

. As a son of Irish immigrants he was interested in Irish affairs including The Troubles in Northern Ireland. He became actively involved in Northern Ireland peace process which led to the ceasefire. He was on the board of

Co-operation Ireland Co-operation Ireland is a non-political and non-denominational charity dedicated to peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Much of Co-operation Ireland's work focuses on bringing the two main communities in North ...

and of the

National Committee on American Foreign Policy The National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP) is an American nonprofit, nonpartisan activist organization dedicated to the resolution of conflicts that threaten United States interests. Founded in 1974 by Hans Morgenthau, the orga ...

. He died on 2 June 2018.

Honors

*1994: Irish America (magazine) chose him as Irish American of the Year *1996: as Grand Marshal, he led the

New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade The New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade is an annual parade organized by the Irish Community of New York City to honor Saint Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland while celebrating their Irish culture and heritage. The parade is composed of th ...

. *1999: selected by Irish America as one of The Greatest Irish Americans of the 20th Century *2011: inducted into Irish America Hall of Fame

Legacy

A ''William J. Flynn Center for

Irish studies Irish Studies is an interdisciplinary field of research devoted to the study of Ireland, History of Ireland. Geography of Ireland, Culture of Ireland, Literature of Ireland, Art of Ireland, Languages of Ireland, Politics of the Republic of Irelan ...

'' was established at the

University of St. Thomas (Texas) The University of St. Thomas (UST or St. Thomas) is a private Roman Catholic university in Houston, Texas. It was founded by the Basilian Fathers in 1947 and is the only Catholic university in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. History On Ju ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flynn, William J. 1926 births 2018 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople American people of Irish descent Fordham University alumni People from Manhattan