Thomas C. O'Connor
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Thomas C. O'Connor (October 9, 1927 – January 16, 2001) was a one term Republican
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...
of
Norwalk, Connecticut Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The city, part of the New York metropolitan area, New York Metropolitan Area, is the List of municipalities of Connecticut by population, sixth-most populous city in Connecticut ...
from 1981 to 1983. He had previously served a term in the
Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each ...
from the 140th District. He was a junior high school history teacher in the Norwalk public schools for 35 years.


Early life and family

He was the son of Dorothy Page O'Connor of Norwalk. O'Connor attended St. Mary School, Center Junior High School, and Norwalk High School where he played football. He was a graduate of Fairfield University in its first graduating class. He served two tours of duty with the U. S. Navy Air Force, first in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and then in the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. He was a history teacher in the junior high school and middle school levels in the Norwalk school system for more than thirty-five years, and also worked nights and weekends for many years as a new car salesperson in Norwalk.


Political career

O' Connor served as a member of the Norwalk Common Council. In 1974, he was defeated in his race for the seat representing the 140th district in the Connecticut House of Representatives to Democrat William Collins. When Collins resigned his house seat in 1977 to take office as mayor, O'Connor won the seat in a special election over Democrat Alberta Hawkins and took office on February 2, 1978.Absentee Ballots To Be Available for 140th Race
/ref> He served on the Committees on General Law and Public Personnel and Military Affairs. O'Connor was a candidate for mayor in 1979, but lost to Collins. On November 3, 1981 O'Connor was elected mayor, defeating the incumbent Collins and Independent Henry F. B. Higgins.
/ref> He took office in 1982.


Post mayoral activity

O'Connor was a major force in resurrecting a World War II Honor Roll in Norwalk, and bringing it up to date four decades after it had been dismantled, and in revitalizing a memorial to a Vietnam War of Honor recipients in the city of Norwalk. In 1988, the Honor Roll of veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam was completed. It lists the names of 6,687 World War II members, 340 from Korea and 429 from Vietnam.
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Awards

* He was honored by the Norwalk Old-Timers Athletic Association in 2000. He was well known for his support for athletics by young people in Norwalk. He was a football official for high school games in Fairfield County and he rarely missed a sporting event of the Norwalk High School athletic teams. * In 2000, O'Connor was named to the Norwalk High School Alumni Association Teacher Honor Roll
/ref>


Legacy

* In January 2001, The
Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. The ...
passed House Resolution No. 11 "A RESOLUTION EXPRESSING SYMPATHY ON THE DEATH OF THOMAS C. O'CONNOR" * He was a founder of the Heritage Wall in Norwalk and the park adjacent to it is named Thomas C. O'Connor Park in his honor.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Thomas C. 1927 births 2001 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy personnel of the Korean War Connecticut city council members Fairfield University alumni American high school teachers Mayors of Norwalk, Connecticut Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Norwalk High School (Connecticut) alumni 20th-century mayors of places in Connecticut 20th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly