William Sinton FitzGerald, Sr. (October 6, 1880 – October 3, 1937) was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

of the Republican Party who served as the 39th

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Life and career

FitzGerald was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

to an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

family. He received public education and attended

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

, graduating with a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

degree in 1903. The following year, he moved to Cleveland, was admitted to the

Ohio State Bar Association The Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of Ohio. History OSBA was founded on March 6, 1880 when the Cleveland Bar Association issued a call other Ohio local bar associations to meet at Case Hall in Cle ...

, and began practicing law. In 1911, he entered politics and was elected as a Republican city councilman for Ward 11, serving two terms. Under Mayor Harry L. Davis, FitzGerald was appointed law director. When Davis resigned in 1920 to campaign for the Ohio governorship, FitzGerald became mayor for a brief period in 1920-21. His most notable achievement as mayor was his successful fight, in cooperation with

Cleveland City Council Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of government for the City of Cleveland, Ohio. Its chambers are located at Cleveland City Hall at 601 Lakeside Avenue, across the street from Public Auditorium in Downtown Cleveland. Cleveland Ci ...

and Councilman Jacob Stacel, to prevent the Ku Klux Klan from establishing a presence in the city. In the 1921 mayoral election, FitzGerald was defeated by former

Cleveland Police Cleveland Police is the territorial police force responsible for the policing area corresponding to the former county of Cleveland in Northern England. As of September 2017, the force had 1,274 police officers, 278 police staff, 124 police com ...

chief

Fred Kohler Fred Kohler (April 20, 1888 – October 28, 1938) was an American actor. Career Fred Kohler was born in Kansas City, Missouri or in Dubuque, Iowa. As a teen, he began to pursue a career in vaudeville, but worked other jobs to support himself. ...

. He subsequently returned to private practice.

Personal life

FitzGerald was a bachelor when he became mayor. He married Margaret Chilton Tucker of Chicago, Illinois, on January 14, 1920. He had met her while on a business trip to Washington, D.C., and courted her whenever he visited the city. Fitzgerald kept his marriage a secret from the public until August 27, 1921. The couple had a son, William Sinton FitzGerald, Jr. The FitzGeralds divorced in 1922. The birth of their son was kept secret from the public until his existence was revealed in the divorce proceedings. FitzGerald then married Carolina Granger of Cleveland on March 23, 1933.

Death

FitzGerald died unexpectedly of a heart attack at his home in the Cleveland suburb of

North Royalton North Royalton is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Cleveland. The population was 31,322 as of the 2020 Census. Originally incorporated as a village in 1927, it achieved the status of city in 1961. History North Ro ...

, at 5:25 AM on October 3, 1937. His place of burial may not be known.

References

External links

William Sinton Fitzgerald entry
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations o ...

1880 births 1937 deaths Cleveland City Council members George Washington University Law School alumni Mayors of Cleveland Ohio lawyers Ohio Republicans American people of Irish descent 20th-century American politicians Politicians from Washington, D.C. {{Ohio-mayor-stub