George Donoghue O'Brien (January 1, 1900 – October 25, 1957) was a politician from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

who served as a member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

on three separate occasions.

Early life and education

O'Brien was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, where he attended the

University of Detroit Jesuit High School The University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy was founded in 1877, and is one of two Jesuit high schools in the city of Detroit, Michigan, the other being Loyola High School. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit, the sc ...

. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, O'Brien served as a private and was assigned to the Students' Training Corps. He graduated from the

University of Detroit The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catho ...

in 1921 and also graduated from the

University of Detroit Law School The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law is the law school of the University of Detroit Mercy and is located in Downtown Detroit, Michigan across from the Renaissance Center. Founded in 1912, Detroit Mercy Law is a private Roman Catholic l ...

in 1924. He was admitted to the bar in 1924 and commenced practice in Detroit.

Tenure in Congress

In 1936, O'Brien defeated incumbent Republican

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

Clarence J. McLeod to be 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

from

Michigan's 13th congressional district Michigan's 13th congressional district is a United States List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in Wayne County, Michigan. It is currently represented by Democratic Party (United States), Democrat Shri Thanedar. ...

to the

75th Congress The 75th 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, 1 ...

, serving from January 3, 1937, to January 3, 1939. He lost to McLeod in 1938, but defeated McLeod again in 1940 to be elected to the 77th Congress, and subsequently re-elected to the 78th and 79th Congresses, serving from January 3, 1941, to January 3, 1947. In 1946, he lost to Republican Howard Aldridge Coffin, but defeated Coffin in 1948 to be elected to the

81st 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 ...

and subsequently re-elected to the 82nd and 83rd Congresses, serving from January 3, 1949, to January 3, 1955. In 1954, he was defeated in the Democratic Party primary elections by Charles C. Diggs, Jr., who went on to win the general election. O'Brien was chairman of the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads during the 75th Congress and a delegate to the

1944 Democratic National Convention The 1944 Democratic National Convention was held at the Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois from July 19 to July 21, 1944. The convention resulted in the nomination of President Franklin D. Roosevelt for an unprecedented fourth term. Senator ...

in 1944. He also was an unsuccessful candidate for circuit judge of Michigan's 3rd Circuit in 1947.

Life after Congress

After leaving Congress, O'Brien served as assistant corporation counsel of the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

, assigned to the Civil Proceedings Division from July 11, 1955, until his death in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

He is interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan.

References

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, George Donoghue 1900 births 1957 deaths University of Detroit Mercy alumni University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan American people of Irish descent American Roman Catholics Lawyers from Detroit Politicians from Detroit 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives