William Thomas Byrne (March 6, 1876 – January 27, 1952) was an attorney and politician from

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

. He was most notable for his service in 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 ...

(1923-1936) and a

United States 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 ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

(1937 until his death). Byrne was born in Florida, Montgomery County, New York, and raised in Albany. He attended the public schools and Albany Law School and became an attorney in Albany. Active in politics as a Democrat, he won election to the State senate in 1922, and served from 1923 to 1936. In 1936, he was a successful candidate for Congress, and he served in the U.S. House from 1937 until his death.

Early life

Byrne was born in Florida, Montgomery County, New York, and was the son of Richard Henry Byrne, a carpenter, and Margaret Manifold Byrne, a school teacher, both of whom were immigrants from Ireland. His family moved to Albany when he was an infant, and his father operated a bar and grill on Broadway while Byrne attended the city's public schools. Byrne graduated from Albany High School in 1896 and Albany Law School in 1904. He was admitted to the bar the same year, and practiced law in Albany. Byrne was active in several civic organizations, including the YMCA and Elks. After attending the

1896 Democratic National Convention The 1896 Democratic National Convention, held at the Chicago Coliseum from July 7 to July 11, was the scene of William Jennings Bryan's nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate for the 1896 U.S. presidential election. At age 36, B ...

and hearing

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...

speak, Byrne developed a lifelong interest in oratory. In addition to honing his own speaking skills through study and practice, Byrne instructed a course on public speaking for the Albany-area YMCA. He also taught public speaking at Albany Law School. Byrne spoke frequently at public events and developed a nationwide reputation as an orator on behalf of these and other organizations. In

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

and

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hol ...

, Byrne nominated

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928. The son of an Irish-American mother and a C ...

for governor at the state Democratic convention. In

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

, he was called upon to nominate

Herbert H. Lehman Herbert Henry Lehman (March 28, 1878 – December 5, 1963) was an American Democratic Party politician from New York. He served from 1933 until 1942 as the 45th governor of New York and represented New York State in the U.S. Senate from 194 ...

for reelection as governor. Active in politics as a Democrat, Byrne was one of the lieutenants employed by

Daniel P. O'Connell Daniel Patrick "Dan" O'Connell (November 13, 1885 – February 28, 1977) was a longtime leader of the United States Democratic Party, Democratic Party political machine in Albany County, New York, Albany County, New York (state), New York. O'Conne ...

when he developed the party organization that wrested control of the city and county of Albany from longtime Republican boss

William Barnes Jr. William Barnes Jr. (November 17, 1866 – June 25, 1930) was an American journalist and politician. The longtime owner and publisher of the ''Albany Evening Journal'', Barnes was most notable as a major behind the scenes player in state and ...

Byrne was also active physically throughout his life, golfing frequently and undertaking difficult hikes and walking trips. For most of life, he made the annual 35 mile trip between his Albany-area home and his summer home in Montgomery County on foot. In November 1951, one of his U.S. House colleagues noted that Byrne marched the entire length of a four mile Veterans Day parade in Albany, after which he delivered two speeches in commemoration of the holiday.

State senator

He was a member of the

(30th D.) from 1923 to 1936, sitting in the 146th, 147th, 148th, 149th, 150th, 151st, 152nd, 153rd, 154th, 155th, 156th, 157th, 158th and

159th New York State Legislature The 159th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to May 13, 1936, during the fourth year of Herbert H. Lehman's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the p ...

s. During his senate career, Byrne was chairman at different times of the committees on codes, labor, industry, judiciary, and agriculture. In the State Senate, Byrne was credited with authoring New York's unemployment compensation insurance law, as well as backing measures in favor of workplace and farm safety. While chairman of the agriculture committee, he shepherded to passage New York's first law to regulate the quality and composition of raw milk produced by the state's dairy farmers.

Congressman

He was elected as a

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 75th, 76th, 77th, 78th, 79th, 80th, 81st and

82nd United States Congress The 82nd 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, 19 ...

es, holding office from January 3, 1937, until his death. Byrne rarely spoke on the floor of the House, but was active as a staunch supporter of the

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

administration's

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

and

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 ...

initiatives. Byrne had been a friend of the Roosevelt family since the early 1920s, and frequently visited the governor's mansion during Roosevelt's governorship. According to a widely republished February 1942 newspaper story, Byrne arrived at the White House for a five minute appointment with Roosevelt. Roosevelt was behind schedule, so Byrne entered his office late, but they remained together for over 40 minutes as Roosevelt's other appointments continued to back up. When asked afterwards about the nature of the meeting and the length of their conversation, Byrne informed reporters that Roosevelt and he reminisced and shared stories about mutual friends, with Roosevelt happy for a temporary distraction from issues related to the war. Byrne was appointed to the Judiciary Committee in his first term, and advanced through seniority to chair two of its subcommittees, the subcommittee on claims, and a special subcommittee that considered reapportionment of the House following the 1950 census. In the years following

, Byrne led a House delegation on an extended trip to Europe as it studied he problem of displace persons and considered possible solutions.

Death and burial

Byrne died at St. Mary's Hospital in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

, on January 27, 1952, while receiving treatment after suffering a

cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

. His funeral was held at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany on January 31, 1952. Honorary bearers included

Erastus Corning 2nd Erastus Corning 2nd (October 7, 1909 – May 28, 1983) was an American politician. A Democrat, Corning served as the 72nd mayor of Albany, New York from 1942 to 1983, when Albany County was controlled by one of the last classic urban political ...

and

John Boyd Thacher II John Boyd Thacher II (October 26, 1882 – April 25, 1957) was the Mayor of Albany, New York from 1926 to 1941. He was the nephew of Albany mayor John Boyd Thacher and grandson of another Albany mayor, George H. Thacher. Thacher was the brot ...

. Byrne was buried at St. John's Cemetery in West Albany.

Family

In 1908, Byrne married Josephine Diener at St. Patrick's Church in

Watervliet, New York Watervliet ( or ) is a City (New York), city in Albany County, New York, Albany County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The population was 10,375 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Watervliet is north of Albany, ...

. They had no children, and she died in 1948. After his wife's death, Byrne resided in Loudonville with his sisters, Elizabeth Turkenkoph and Anne Byrne.

Legacy

His home, the Senator William T. Byrne House, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1985.

References

External links

* *
Memorial Services Held in the House of Representatives of the United States, Together with Remarks Presented in Eulogy of William Thomas Byrne (Late a Representative from New York)
' at Hathi Trust Digital Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, William T 1876 births 1952 deaths People from Florida, Montgomery County, New York Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Albany Law School alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Colonie, New York