Timothy J. O'Connor Jr. (December 13, 1936 – January 16, 2018) was a

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who served as

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

Biography

Timothy J. "Tim" O'Connor Jr. was born in

Brattleboro, Vermont Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a New England town, town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located about north of the Massachusetts state line at the confluence of Vermont's West River (Vermont), West River and the Connec ...

, on December 13, 1936. He graduated from

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by educators Benedict Joseph Fenwick and Thomas F. Mulledy in 1843 under the auspices of the Society of Jesus. ...

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

and received his law degree from

Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...

, afterwards beginning a practice in Brattleboro. From 1965 to 1967 O'Connor served as Brattleboro's Municipal Court Judge. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, in 1968 he was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives. He served from 1969 to 1981, and was Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee from 1973 to 1975. O'Connor was succeeded in the House by Christian Hansen Jr. In 1975 O'Connor was elected Speaker of the House, serving until 1981. O'Connor's election as Speaker was noteworthy because he was the first Democrat to hold the post since the founding of the Republican Party in the 1850s. In addition, O'Connor's election made headlines because he was from the minority party in the House. Republicans held the majority throughout O'Connor's tenure as Speaker. In 1980 O'Connor was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

, afterwards returning to his Brattleboro law practice. O'Connor practiced law until his 2011 retirement, also continuing to serve in local offices including Town Meeting Moderator. O'Connor died at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in

Lebanon, New Hampshire Lebanon ( ) is the only city in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,282 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 13,151 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Lebanon is in western New Hampshi ...

on January 16, 2018. Survivors include his wife; a son, Kevin O'Connor of Brattleboro; two daughters, Kate O'Connor of Brattleboro and Kerry (Robert) Amidon of Vernon; three grandchildren, Daniel, David and Jacob Amidon of Vernon; and a brother, W. Brian O'Connor of Amherst, Mass.

Personal life

On July 8, 1961, O'Connor married Martha Elizabeth Hannum of

Putney, Vermont Putney is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,617 at the 2020 census. The town's historic core makes up the Putney Village Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. His ...

. They were the parents of three children—Kevin, Kate, and Kerry. Kate O'Connor served as a top aide to

Howard Dean Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, consultant, and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 20 ...

during his governorship and 2004 presidential candidacy.Newspaper column, The Blame Game
Fair Game, by Shay Totten, Seven Days weekly newspaper, October 1, 2008

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Timothy J. Jr. 1936 births 2018 deaths College of the Holy Cross alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni Vermont lawyers Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Politicians from Brattleboro, Vermont Candidates in the 1980 United States elections 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly