James Aloysius O'Gorman (May 5, 1860 – May 17, 1943) was an American attorney, judge, and politician from

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

. A Democrat, he is most notable for his service as a

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from March 31, 1911, to March 3, 1917. A native of

Manhattan, New York City Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the smallest county by area in the U.S. state of New York. Located almost entire ...

, O'Gorman was educated in the schools of the city and received his LL.B. degree from

New York University School of Law The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it was the first law school established in New York City and is the oldest survivin ...

in 1882. He was admitted to the bar and began to practice in New York City. He also became involved in politics as a Democrat, including leadership roles in the

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was an American political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789, as the Tammany Society. It became the main local ...

organization. He served a Tammany's Grand Sachem from 1902 to 1906. In 1892, O'Gorman was elected judge of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

's 11th District Civil Court. He served from 1893 to 1900, when he resigned in order to assume his seat as a justice of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

's 1st District, to which he had been elected in 1899. He continued to serve on the Supreme Court until resigning in order to assume his seat in the U.S. Senate. In 1911, O'Gorman was proposed as a compromise choice for U.S. senator after Democrats in the New York State Legislature were unable to agree on a nominee. He was elected and served one term, 1911 to 1917. After leaving the senate, O'Gorman resumed the practice of law in New York City. O'Gorman died at his home in Manhattan on May 17, 1943. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

Early life

James Aloysius O'Gorman was born in

on May 5, 1860, the son of Thomas and Ellen O'Gorman. He was educated in the schools of Manhattan and attended the College of the City of New York. He then began attendance at

. While in law school, O'Gorman also studied stenography and worked as a stenographer in the law office of Merritt E. Sawyer, a former judge. O'Gorman graduated in May 1882 with a LL.B. degree. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

later that month and established a practice in New York City. In addition to practicing law, O'Gorman was involved in politics at an early age. At 21, he was elected chairman of his election district's Democratic committee, which was aligned with the

organization. Soon afterwards, he became a member of the Democratic Club of New York. As his career progressed, O'Gorman continued to rise through Tammany Hall's leadership ranks. In 1886, he was active in the unsuccessful mayoral campaign of United Labor Party nominee

Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist, Social philosophy, social philosopher and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of ...

, and in 1887 he ran unsuccessfully for district court judge as a United Labor candidate, but he later returned to the regular Democratic fold.

Start of career

O'Gorman practiced law from an office at the corner of Fulton Street and Broadway, and he developed a reputation for effective representation in civil trials. He also continued his political activities, attending numerous local and state conventions as a delegate. He was a delegate to 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 ...

, and afterwards supported the unsuccessful ticket of

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...

and

Arthur Sewall Arthur Sewall (November 25, 1835 – September 5, 1900) was an American shipbuilder from Maine, best known as the Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1896, running mate to William Jennings Bryan. From 1888 to 1896, he s ...

in the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

. In 1892, O'Gorman was elected judge of

's 11th District Civil Court, and he served from 1893 to 1900. In 1899, he was the successful Democratic nominee for one of two seats as a justice of the

's 1st District. He was elected, and served from 1900 until resigning in 1911. In 1902, O'Gorman was elected Grand Sachem, the leader of the Tammany Society, succeeding Thomas L. Feitner. He served until 1906, and was succeeded by William Bourke Cockran.

U.S. Senator

In 1911, O'Gorman was elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. At the time, senators were chosen by state legislatures, and Democrats controlled both houses of the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the Bicameralism, two houses that act as the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York: the New York State Senate and the New York State Assem ...

, meaning a Democrat would probably be selected to succeed Republican incumbent Chauncey M. Depew. At the start of the contest in January 1911, Republicans re-nominated Depew nearly unanimously. Democrats nominated William F. Sheehan, who had served as

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

from 1892 to 1894 and had the support of Tammany Hall. In response, a faction of 19 legislators opposed to Tammany was organized by State Senator

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

. This faction ("The Insurgents") pledged not to support Sheehan, and was large enough to prevent him from obtaining a majority in the legislative election. Balloting took place throughout January, February, and March, with Sheehan's support shifting between 63 and 86 votes, well short of the 101 needed to win. The deadlock was finally broken when Charles Francis Murphy, the "boss" of Tammany Hall, proposed O'Gorman as a compromise. The Insurgents acquiesced, and O'Gorman was elected on the 64th ballot, receiving 112 votes to 80 for Depew. O'Gorman served one term, March 31, 1911, to March 3, 1917, and was not a candidate for reelection in 1916. He was succeeded by Republican William M. Calder, who defeated Democrat William F. McCombs in the November 1916 general election. During his Senate term, O'Gorman was chairman of the Committee on Interoceanic Canals. In addition, he served at different times on the committees on

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Immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...

Judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

Manufactures Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...

, Naval Affairs, and

Rules Rule or ruling may refer to: Human activity * The exercise of political or personal control by someone with authority or power * Business rule, a rule pertaining to the structure or behavior internal to a business * School rule, a rule tha ...

Later life

After leaving the Senate, O'Gorman resumed the practice of law as a partner in the form of O'Gorman, Battle and Vandiver. He was frequently called on by the New York Supreme Court to serve as a referee in civil cases, which included the mid-1920s dispute among the heirs of

Jay Gould Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who founded the Gould family, Gould business dynasty. He is generally identified as one of the Robber baron (industrialist), robber bar ...

. O'Gorman was a director of the New York Title and Mortgage Company and the American Trust Company. In addition, he served as a trustee of New York University and the College of New Rochelle. O'Gorman died at his home in

on May 17, 1943. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery,

, New York.

Awards

O'Gorman received several

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

s during his career. These included:

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...

(

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

, 1904); Fordham University (LL.D., 1908); New York University (LL.D., 1909); and

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

(LL.D., 1911).

Family

In 1884, O'Gorman married Anne M. Leslie (1862–1943). They were the parents of ten children, eight of whom lived to adulthood: * Mary O'Gorman Malone (1884–1961), the wife of Dudley Field Malone. * Ellen O'Gorman Duffy (1886–1975), a longtime trustee of Barnard College and president of the Women's University Club of New York. * Edith Patricia O'Gorman McDonald (1887–1910), who married attorney James A. McDonald in September 1910, and died the following November. * Dolorita O'Gorman Maher (1889–1981), the wife of businessman John A. Maher, whose father was Edward A. Maher. * Alice O'Gorman (1891–1965) * Ann Aloysia O'Gorman White (1892–1961), the wife of lumber company executive Paul M. White. * Agnes Katherine O'Gorman Shanley (1895–1974), the wife of architect Joseph Sanford Shanley. * James Aloysius O'Gorman (1898–1946), an attorney in New York City who died after being struck by a taxi. * Richard O'Gorman (1899–1899) * Robert Emmett O'Gorman (1900–1906)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ogorman, James A. 1860 births 1943 deaths City College of New York alumni New York University School of Law alumni Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Queens) New York Supreme Court justices Politicians from New York City Democratic Party United States senators from New York (state) New York (state) Democrats Pedestrian road incident deaths Road incident deaths in New York City Lawyers from New York City Catholics from New York (state) 20th-century United States senators