Thomas David Patrick O'Malley Sr. (March 24, 1903December 19, 1979) was an American Democratic politician from

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. He served three terms in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

, representing

Wisconsin's 5th congressional district Wisconsin's 5th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin, covering most of Milwaukee's northern and western suburbs. It presently covers all of Washington County, Wisconsin, W ...

from 1933 through 1939, and was later an appointee in the

United States Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemp ...

. His father, Thomas J. O'Malley, was the 26th

lieutenant governor of Wisconsin The lieutenant governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Wisconsin, line of succession of Wisconsin's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, ...

Biography

Thomas O'Malley was born in

, on March 24, 1903. He was raised and educated in Milwaukee, before attending

Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic Church, ...

and the Y.M.C.A. College of Liberal Arts in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. At an early age he became engaged in politics with the Democratic Party, due to his father's political activity. He first sought elected office in 1928, running for

. He prevailed in the Democratic primary, but came in a distant third in the general election, behind the Socialist incumbent,

Victor L. Berger Victor Luitpold Berger (February 28, 1860August 7, 1929) was an Austrian–American socialist politician and journalist who was a founding member of the Social Democratic Party of America and its successor, the Socialist Party of America. Born in ...

, and the Republican victor, William H. Stafford. He made another attempt in 1930, but lost again to the Republican Stafford. Two years later, O'Malley was elected as a delegate to the

1932 Democratic National Convention The 1932 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois June 27 – July 2, 1932. The convention resulted in the nomination of Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York for president and Speaker of the House John N. Garner from ...

. He was one of only two delegates from Wisconsin who refused to vote for

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 ...

, remaining loyal to

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was the 42nd governor of New York, serving from 1919 to 1920 and again from 1923 to 1928. He was the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party's presidential nominee in the 1 ...

. At the Fall general election, O'Malley ran again for Congress, and this time prevailed in the Democratic wave election, and went on to serve in the

73rd United States Congress The 73rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1933, ...

. O'Malley faced a bitter primary race running for re-election in 1934, but managed to prevail against four Democratic challengers. He went on to win his second term with just 34% of the vote, with the

Wisconsin Progressive Party The Wisconsin Progressive Party (1934–1946) was a political third party that briefly held a major role in Wisconsin politics under the two sons of the late Robert M. La Follette. It was on the political left wing, and it sometimes cooperated wit ...

emerging as a fourth major party in the district. He faced multiple challengers in both 1936 and 1938, surviving again in 1936, but losing in 1938. O'Malley's most noteworthy contribution during his six years in Congress was likely the

Johnson–O'Malley Act The Johnson–O'Malley Act was law of the United States Congress passed on April 16, 1934, to subsidize education, medical attention, and other services provided by states to Native Americans, especially those not living on reservations. It was e ...

, to subsidize education, medical facilities, and other services for the Native American population. It passed in 1934. After leaving Congress, he was appointed regional director for the Wages and Hours division of the

. His region comprised Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana, and he ultimately served in this role for another 18 years, retiring in 1956. During those years, he moved to

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, where he resided for much of the rest of his life. He died on December 19, 1979, at

Northwestern Memorial Hospital Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) is a nationally ranked academic medical center located on Northwestern University's Campus of Northwestern University, Chicago campus in Streeterville, Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship campus for Nort ...

in Chicago after suffering a blood clot.

Electoral history

U.S. House of Representatives (1928–1938)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Omalley, Thomas Politicians from Milwaukee 1903 births 1979 deaths Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives