Thomas H. O'Connor (1923-2012) was a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

and university historian of

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 ...

who published hundreds of books and academic papers on Boston,

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

, and

American history The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...

. O'Connor was known as "the dean of Boston historians".

Biography

Thomas Henry O'Connor was born on December 9, 1922, in

South Boston South Boston (colloquially known as Southie) is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay (Boston Harbor), Dorchester Bay. It has under ...

. He was one of three children of John F. O’Connor, a mail carrier, and Marie O'Connor (née Meany), an office worker. As a child he loved to read and was always interested in history. He attended Gate of Heaven elementary school in South Boston. In the eighth grade he won a citywide essay competition and was presented with a silver medal by Governor

James Michael Curley James Michael Curley (November 20, 1874 – November 12, 1958) was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served four terms as mayor of Boston between 1914 and 1955. Curley ran for mayor in every election for which he ...

. He attended

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a Magnet school, magnet Latin schools, Latin Grammar schools, grammar State school, state school in Boston, Massachusetts. It has been in continuous operation since it was established on April 23, 1635. It is the old ...

, working part-time at the

Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also Massachusetts' Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse''), meaning all adult re ...

Copley Square Copley Square is a public square in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, bounded by Boylston Street, Clarendon Street, St. James Avenue, and Dartmouth Street. The square is named for painter John Singleton Copley. Prior to 1883 it was known as Art Squ ...

, and graduated in 1942. During his freshman year at

, he joined the army and served in the

China Burma India Theater China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was ...

during World War II. In 1946 he returned to his studies and his job at the library. He was also the staff cartoonist for ''The Stylus'', the college's literary magazine, and ''The Heights'', the student newspaper. In 1949 he married his co-worker at the library, Mary MacDonald. In 1950 he received his master's degree from Boston College and was offered a teaching job, which he accepted. While teaching at Boston College he studied American History at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

, receiving his doctorate in 1957. He remained at Boston College for the rest of his life. He was chairman of the history department through the 1960s, became a professor

emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

in 1993, and in 1999 was named university historian. That same year, he received Boston Latin's Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Eire Society of Boston Gold Medal. In addition to teaching at Boston College, Dr. O'Connor taught at the

Harvard Extension School Harvard Extension School (HES) is the Continuing education, continuing education School of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1910, it is o ...

for many years, and served on the Massachusetts Archives Commission, the National Bicentennial Commission, and the Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution. He died at his home in

Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Milton is an immediate southern suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Milton is located in the relatively hilly ...

, on May 20, 2012.

Selected works

* ''

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

and the Cotton Trade''.

Iowa City Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

. 1961. * ''The Heritage of the American People''.

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 ...

Allyn and Bacon Allyn & Bacon, founded in 1868, is a higher education textbook publisher in the areas of education, humanities and social sciences. It is an imprint of Pearson Education, the world's largest education publishing and technology company, which is ...

. 1965. * ''Lords of the

Loom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of ...

: The Cotton Whigs and the Coming of the Civil War''. New York : Scribner. 1968. * ''The Disunited States: The Era of

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

and

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

''. New York :

Dodd, Mead and Company Dodd, Mead and Company was one of the pioneer publishing houses of the United States, based in New York City. Under several names, the firm operated from 1839 until 1990. History Origins In 1839, Moses Woodruff Dodd (1813–1899) and John S. ...

. 1972. * ''Religion and American Society''. Boston :

Addison-Wesley Addison–Wesley is an American publisher of textbooks and computer literature. It is an imprint of Pearson plc, a global publishing and education company. In addition to publishing books, Addison–Wesley also distributes its technical titles ...

. 1975 * ''Bibles,

Brahmins Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

, and Bosses: A Short History of Boston''. Boston :

. 1976. * ''Fitzpatrick's Boston, 1846-1866: John Bernard Fitzpatrick, Third Bishop of Boston''. Boston : Northeastern University Press. 1984. * ''

, My Home Town: The History of an Ethnic Neighborhood''. Boston : Quinlan Press. 1988. * ''Building a New Boston: Politics and

Urban Renewal Urban renewal (sometimes called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address real or perceived urban decay. Urban renewal involves the clearing ...

, 1950-1970''. Boston :

Northeastern University Press The University Press of New England (UPNE), located in Lebanon, New Hampshire and founded in 1970, was a university press consortium including Brandeis University, Dartmouth College (its host member), Tufts University, the University of New Hampsh ...

. 1993. * '' Boston Irish: A Political History''. Boston : Northeastern University Press. 1995. * ''Boston

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

: A History of the Church and its People''. Boston : Northeastern University Press. 1998. * ''Civil War Boston: Home Front and Battlefield''. Boston : Northeastern University Press. 1998. * ''Boston A to Z''.

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

. 2000. * ''The Hub: Boston Past and Present''. Boston : Northeastern University Press. 2001. * ''Eminent Bostonians''. Cambridge : Harvard University Press. 2002. * ''The

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

of America: Boston, 1825-1845''.

Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. Amherst has a council–manager form of government, and is considered a city under Massachusetts state law. Amherst is one of several Massach ...

: University of Massachusetts Press. 2006. * ''Two Centuries of Faith: The Influence of Catholicism on Boston, 1808-2008''. New York : Crossroad Pub. Co. 2009.

References

External links

Thomas H. O'Connor on WorldCat
{{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Thomas H. Historians of the United States Writers from Boston Boston College alumni 1923 births 2012 deaths Harvard Extension School faculty United States Army personnel of World War II People from South Boston Boston Latin School alumni Boston University alumni