Paul Grattan Kirk (September 25, 1904 – August 2, 1981) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Early life

Kirk was born on September 25, 1904, in

East Boston East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts annexed by the city of Boston in 1637. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Revere, and Chelsea. It is separated from the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown and d ...

. He was the tenth of John and Maud's fourteen children. He graduated from

The English High School The English High School of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, is one of the first public high schools in America, founded in 1821. Originally called The English Classical School, it was renamed The English High School upon its first relocation ...

in 1922,

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1926, and Harvard Law School in 1929. After law school, he joined the firm of Hale & Dorr. On September 19, 1934, he married Josephine O'Connell. The ceremony was performed by her uncle, Cardinal

William Henry O'Connell William Henry O'Connell (December 8, 1859 – April 22, 1944) was an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1907 until his death in 1944, and was made a cardinal in 1911. Early life William O'Connell w ...

Military career

On June 23, 1922, Kirk enlisted in the 2nd Battalion of the

101st Field Artillery Regiment The 101st Field Artillery ("Boston Light Artillery") regiment is the oldest field artillery regiment in the United States Army with a lineage dating to 13 December 1636 when it was organized as the South Regiment. It is one of several National ...

. He later served as a staff sergeant and on May 1, 1924, was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He was promoted to first lieutenant on December 1, 1925, captain on November 16, 1927, major on July 23, 1930. In 1931 he was appointed to the military staff of Governor

Joseph Ely Joseph Buell Ely (February 22, 1881 – June 13, 1956) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Massachusetts. As a conservative Democrat, Ely was active in party politics from the late 1910s, helping to build, in conjunction with ...

. On June 18, 1934, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. In January 1941, Kirk's National Guard unit was called into active service. 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 opposing ...

he served in the

European theatre The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

. During his time in Europe, he saw action in North Africa, Italy, France, Germany, and Czechoslovakia and won five battle stars. He served as an Army officer and eventually became commander of the 101st Engineers. In 1943, he left the 101st to take an assignment with the Army Military Government in Italy reorganizing the royal military police. In 1944 he joined the general staff of the 7th U.S. Army and

Sixth United States Army Group The 6th United States Army Group was an Allied Army Group that fought in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. Made up of field armies from both the United States Army and the French Army, it fought in France, Germany, A ...

. He was discharged from the Army in 1945 with the brevet rank of brigadier general.

Commissioner of Public Safety

In October 1934, Governor Ely appointed Kirk to the position of Commissioner of Public Safety. He was sworn in on October 3, 1934. He was retained by Ely's successor,

James Michael Curley James Michael Curley (November 20, 1874 – November 12, 1958) was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served four terms as mayor of Boston. He also served a single term as governor of Massachusetts, characterized ...

Judicial career

In December 1937, Kirk was appointed to a judgeship on the Suffolk County Superior Court by Governor

Charles F. Hurley Charles Francis Hurley (November 24, 1893 – March 24, 1946) was an American attorney and the 54th Governor of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and one of its first Irish-American governors. Early years Charles Francis Hurley was born in Cambr ...

. On November 23, 1960, Kirk was nominated by Governor

Foster Furcolo John Foster Furcolo (July 29, 1911 – July 5, 1995) was an American lawyer, writer, and Democratic Party politician from Massachusetts. He was the state's 60th governor, and also represented the state as a member of the United States House o ...

to fill a vacancy on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He retired from the court on December 15, 1970.

Personal life and death

Following his retirement, Kirk moved from

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...

Centerville, Massachusetts Centerville is one of the seven villages in the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. Located on the South Side of Barnstable, Centerville is primarily residential, and includes a small business district as well as several notable beach ...

. He died suddenly on August 2, 1981, at his home. He was survived by his two sons, Paul Jr. and Edward, and three daughters, Josephine, Kathleen, and Maud. One of his sons-in-law was an ice hockey player and coach Bill Cleary.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirk Sr, Paul G 1904 births 1981 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II Harvard Law School alumni Massachusetts National Guard personnel Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Lawyers from Boston People from Centerville, Massachusetts People from Newton, Massachusetts Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr people 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers United States Army generals