Joseph Patrick O'Hara (January 23, 1895 – March 4, 1975) was 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

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

Early life

O'Hara was born in

Tipton Tipton is an industrial town in the metropolitan borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It had a population of 38,777 at the 2011 UK Census. It is located northwest of Birmingham and southeas ...

Cedar County, Iowa Cedar County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 18,505. Its county seat is Tipton, Iowa, Tipton. The county is named for the Cedar River (I ...

, on January 23, 1895. He attended the public schools and graduated from

Spirit Lake, Iowa Spirit Lake is a city in Dickinson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,439 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Dickinson County. The town is located along the western shore of East Okoboji Lake, in the Iowa Great Lakes ...

, High School. During the First World War, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant of the Infantry in the Officers’ Reserve Corps and later promoted to captain in the

Quartermaster Corps Following is a list of quartermaster corps, military units, active and defunct, with logistics duties: * Egyptian Army Quartermaster Corps - see Structure of the Egyptian Army * Hellenic Army Quartermaster Corps (''Σώμα Φροντιστών ...

, serving from May 13, 1917, to August 15, 1919. With overseas service, he was commissioned as a major of Infantry in the Reserve Corps. O'Hara also attended

Inns of Court The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. There are four Inns of Court: Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple, and Middle Temple. All barristers must belong to one of them. They have s ...

, London, England, and graduated from the law department of

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

. In 1920, he was admitted to the bar in 1921, and was commenced practice in

Glencoe, Minnesota Glencoe ( ) is a city and the county seat of McLeod County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,744 at the 2020 census. History Glencoe was laid out in 1855 and named after Glen Coe in Scotland. A post office has been in operation ...

Careers

O'Hara served as an attorney for various villages, cities, towns, and school districts, as well as county attorney of McLeod County (1934 – 1938). He was then elected as a Republican to the 77th, 78th, 79th, 80th, 81st, 82nd, 83rd, 84th and the 85th congresses on January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1959.

World War II

O'Hara was an outspoken ally of

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...

, and was an avowed isolationist. This was considered particularly egregious at the time because this was after the fall of France and before Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union, and at that time Britain was very much alone. After an especially contentious argument outside of congress over a bill titled H.R. 1776 (which provided funding for the British military in early 1941), Edward E. Cox, Stephen Pace,

Paul Brown Paul Eugene Brown (September 7, 1908 – August 5, 1991) was an American American football, football coach and executive in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), the National Football League (NFL), and the American Football League (AFL). ...

Albert Sidney Camp Albert Sidney Camp (July 26, 1892 – July 24, 1954) was an American politician, educator and lawyer. Biography Camp was born in Moreland, Georgia. The Camp family was a colonial family with ancestors arriving in the American colonies during ...

Carl Vinson Carl Vinson (November 18, 1883 – June 1, 1981) was an American politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for over 50 years and was influential in the 20th century expansion of the U.S. Navy. He was a member of the Democrati ...

Sam Hobbs Samuel Francis Hobbs (October 5, 1887 – May 31, 1952) was a United States Representative from Alabama. Biography Born in Selma, Alabama, Hobbs attended the public schools, Callaway's Preparatory School, Marion (Alabama) Military Institut ...

Pete Jarman Peterson Bryant ″Pete″ Jarman (October 31, 1892 – February 17, 1955) was a U.S. Representative from Alabama. Early life Born in Greensboro, Alabama, Jarman attended the public schools, the Normal College, Livingston, Alabama, and Souther ...

, Henry B. Steagall, George M. Grant, Frank W. Boykin, L. Mendel Rivers, James P. Richards, Hampton P. Fulmer,

Herbert Covington Bonner Herbert Covington Bonner (May 16, 1891 – November 7, 1965) was a Democratic U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1940 and 1965. Born in Washington, North Carolina, Bonner attended school in Warrenton. He served in the United Stat ...

and John L. McMillan all denounced O'Hara to the press. All 15 of the aforementioned southern representatives attacked O'Hara personally when speaking to the media. Richards said that O'Hara's "lack of manhood was only surpassed by his lack of sense." George M. Grant called O'Hara "two-faced and gutless." Hery B Steagall said it was "unfortunate that Mr. O'Hara has no sense of honor." Herbert Covington Bonner called him "unmanly and shameful." Hampton P. Fulmer said O'Hara was "nothing but a damned fool." Peter Jarman said that "When Hitler says jump, Mr. O'Hara asks ''How High?''." When asked "Do you respect Representative O'Hara?", Albert Sidney Camp responded "No!" Edward E. Cox said that it was "a shame, because Joseph O'Hara was a man once." O'Hara voted against the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights law passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. E ...

. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1958 to the 86th congress, but he resumed the practice of law in Washington, D.C., where he resided. He died in

Bethesda, MD Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region an ...

, on March 4, 1975. His interment is in

Gate of Heaven Cemetery Gate of Heaven Cemetery, approximately 25 miles (40 km) north of New York City, was established in 1917 at 10 West Stevens Ave. in Hawthorne, Westchester County, New York, as a Catholic burial site. Among its famous residents is baseb ...

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially Unincorporated area, unincorporated, it is an edge city with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ...

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ohara, Joseph Patrick 1895 births 1975 deaths University of Notre Dame alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota People from Tipton, Iowa People from Spirit Lake, Iowa People from Glencoe, Minnesota Burials at Gate of Heaven Cemetery (Silver Spring, Maryland) Notre Dame Law School alumni 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives