Joseph Francis O'Connell (December 7, 1872 – December 10, 1942) was an American lawyer, academic, and politician who served as a

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 ...

from

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

from 1907 to 1911.

Early life and education

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, O'Connell attended the Mather School of Boston and prepared for college at St. Mary's Parochial School. He graduated from

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

in 1893. While at Boston College, O'Connell and Joseph Drum helped create the first Boston College football team. O'Connell graduated from Harvard University Law School in 1896, was admitted to the Suffolk County bar in 1897, and commenced the practice of law in Boston.

U.S. Representative

O'Connell was elected as a Democrat to the Sixtieth and Sixty-first Congresses (March 4, 1907 - March 3, 1911). In 1908, he was re-elected by just 4 votes over former Boston City Clerk J. Mitchel Galvin. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1910. In a three-way primary with former Representative William S. McNary and Boston City Councilor James Michael Curley, O'Connell came in second behind Curley.

Later career

After his defeat in 1910, O'Connell resumed the practice of law in Boston and remained active in politics. He served as a delegate to the

1912 Democratic National Convention The 1912 Democratic National Convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory off North Howard Street in Baltimore from June 25 to July 2, 1912. The Convention The convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore from June 25 t ...

. In 1914, O'Connell was appointed to the National Conference on Uniform State Laws by Governor David I. Walsh. He was re-appointed by each succeeding governor and served until his death. In May 1917, O'Connell was elected to serve as a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention, representing the 12th congressional district. The convention convened on June 6, 1917 and adjourned on August 13, 1919. O'Connell served as a delegate to the 1920 Democratic National Convention. In 1923, O'Connell served as member of the State commission to revise the charter of the city of Boston in 1923. O'Connell unsuccessfully ran for

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 ...

in 1930 and

Mayor of Boston The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a m ...

in 1933.

Personal life

On November 23, 1910, O'Connell married Marasita Lenahan, daughter of his former Congressional colleague John T. Lenahan, at St. Mary's Church in

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( , alternatively or ) is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It ...

. The couple had 11 childre

He was Professor of Law and vice president of the board of trustees of Suffolk University Law School, Suffolk Law School in Boston.

Death

O'Connell died in Boston on December 10, 1942, three days after his 70th birthday and was interred at St. Joseph's Cemetery in

West Roxbury West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, bordered by Roslindale and Jamaica Plain to the northeast, the village of Chestnut Hill and the town of Brookline to the north, the city of Newton to the northwest, t ...

, Massachusetts.

References

Bibliography

*Beatty. Jack .: ''The Rascal King: The Life and Times of James Michael Curley (1874–1958)'' Da Capo Press, (2000) pp. 114–116. *''Journal of the Constitutional Convention of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1919) pp. 7–8, 865, 971. *''Who's who in State Politics, 1908'' Practical Politics (1908) p. 18.

External links

O'Connell's biography on his law firms website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Joseph F. 1872 births 1942 deaths American educators Harvard Law School alumni Massachusetts lawyers Members of the 1917 Massachusetts Constitutional Convention People from Greater Boston Boston College Eagles football players Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts People from Dorchester, Boston Politicians from Boston Catholics from Massachusetts Burials at St. Joseph Cemetery (West Roxbury, Massachusetts) 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives