James Aloysius O'Gorman (May 5, 1860 – May 17, 1943) was an American attorney, judge, and politician from New York. A Democrat, he is most notable for his service as a

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from March 31, 1911 to March 3, 1917. A native of Manhattan, New York City, O'Gorman was educated in the schools of the city and received his

LL.B. Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

degree from

New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in N ...

in 1882. He was admitted to the bar and began to practice in New York City. He also became involved in politics as a Democrat, including leadership roles in the

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

organization. He served a Tammany's Grand Sachem from 1902 to 1906. In 1892, O'Gorman was elected judge of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

's 11th District

Civil Court Civil law may refer to: * Civil law (common law), the part of law that concerns private citizens and legal persons * Civil law (legal system), or continental law, a legal system originating in continental Europe and based on Roman law ** Private la ...

. He served from 1893 to 1900, when he resigned in order to assume his seat as a justice of the New York Supreme Court's 1st District, to which he had been elected in 1899. He continued to serve on the Supreme Court until resigning in order to assume his seat in the U.S. Senate. In 1911, O'Gorman was proposed as a compromise choice for U.S. senator after Democrats in the New York State Legislature were unable to agree on a nominee. He was elected and served one term, 1911 to 1917. After leaving the senate, O'Gorman resumed the practice of law in New York City. O'Gorman died at his home in Manhattan on May 17, 1943. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

Early life

James Aloysius O'Gorman was born in Manhattan, New York City on May 5, 1860, the son of Thomas and Ellen O'Gorman. He was educated in the schools of Manhattan and attended the College of the City of New York. He then began attendance at

. While in law school, O'Gorman also studied stenography and worked as a stenographer in the law office of Merritt E. Sawyer, a former judge. O'Gorman graduated in May 1882 with a

degree. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

later that month and established a practice in New York City. In addition to practicing law, O'Gorman was involved in politics at an early age. At 21, he was elected chairman of his election district's Democratic committee, which was aligned with the

organization. Soon afterwards, he became a member of the Democratic Club of New York. As his career progressed, O'Gorman continued to rise through Tammany Hall's leadership ranks. In 1886, he was active in the unsuccessful mayoral campaign of

United Labor Party The South Australian Labor Party, officially known as the Australian Labor Party (South Australian Branch) and commonly referred to simply as South Australian Labor, is the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party, originally formed ...

nominee

Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of the Progressive Era. He inspired the eco ...

, and in 1887 he ran unsuccessfully for district court judge as a United Labor candidate, but he later returned to the regular Democratic fold.

Start of career

O'Gorman practiced law from an office at the corner of Fulton Street and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, and he developed a reputation for effective representation in civil trials. He also continued his political activities, attending numerous local and state conventions as a delegate. He was a delegate to the

1896 Democratic National Convention The 1896 Democratic National Convention, held at the Chicago Coliseum from July 7 to July 11, was the scene of William Jennings Bryan's nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate for the 1896 U.S. presidential election. At age 36, B ...

, and afterwards supported the unsuccessful ticket of

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the Democratic Party, running three times as the party's nominee for President ...

and Arthur Sewall in the general election. In 1892, O'Gorman was elected judge of

's 11th District

, and he served from 1893 to 1900. In 1899, he was the successful Democratic nominee for one of two seats as a justice of the New York Supreme Court's 1st District. He was elected, and served from 1900 until resigning in 1911. In 1902, O'Gorman was elected Grand Sachem, the leader of the

Tammany Society Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

, succeeding Thomas L. Feitner. He served until 1906, and was succeeded by William Bourke Cockran.

U.S. Senator

In 1911, O'Gorman was elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. At the time, senators were chosen by state legislatures, and Democrats controlled both houses of the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an officia ...

, meaning a Democrat would probably be selected to succeed

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

incumbent Chauncey M. Depew. At the start of the contest in January 1911, Republicans re-nominated Depew nearly unanimously. Democrats nominated William F. Sheehan, who had served as lieutenant governor from 1892 to 1894 and had the support of Tammany Hall. In response, a faction of 19 legislators opposed to Tammany was organized by State Senator

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. This faction ("The Insurgents") pledged not to support Sheehan, and was large enough to prevent him from obtaining a majority in the legislative election. Balloting took place throughout January, February, and March, with Sheehan's support shifting between 63 and 86 votes, well short of the 101 needed to win. The deadlock was finally broken when Charles Francis Murphy, the "boss" of Tammany Hall, proposed O'Gorman as a compromise. The Insurgents acquiesced, and O'Gorman was elected on the 64th ballot, receiving 112 votes to 80 for Depew. O'Gorman served one term, March 31, 1911 to March 3, 1917, and was not a candidate for reelection in 1916. He was succeeded by Republican William M. Calder, who defeated Democrat William F. McCombs in the November 1916 general election. During his Senate term, O'Gorman was chairman of the Committee on Interoceanic Canals. In addition, he served at different times on the committees on

Foreign Relations A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through m ...

Immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, a ...

Judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

Manufactures Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a rang ...

, Naval Affairs, and

Rules Rule or ruling may refer to: Education * Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE), a university in Cambodia Human activity * The exercise of political or personal control by someone with authority or power * Business rule, a rule pert ...

Later life

After leaving the Senate, O'Gorman resumed the practice of law as a partner in the form of O'Gorman, Battle and Vandiver. He was frequently called on by the New York Supreme Court to serve as a referee in civil cases, which included the mid-1920s dispute among the heirs of

Jay Gould Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who is generally identified as one of the robber barons of the Gilded Age. His sharp and often unscrupulous business practices made him ...

. O'Gorman was a director of the New York Title and Mortgage Company and the American Trust Company. In addition, he served as a trustee of New York University and the

College of New Rochelle The College of New Rochelle (CNR) was a private Catholic college with its main campus in New Rochelle, New York, but also in Australia, England, and Germany. It was founded as the College of St. Angela by Mother Irene Gill, OSU of the Ursuline O ...

. O'Gorman died at his home in Manhattan, New York City on May 17, 1943. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery,

, New York.

Awards

O'Gorman received several

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

s during his career. These included:

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Penns ...

(

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

, 1904); Fordham University (LL.D., 1908); New York University (LL.D., 1909); and

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

(LL.D., 1911).

Family

In 1884, O'Gorman married Anne M. Leslie (1862–1943). They were the parents of ten children, eight of whom lived to adulthood: * Mary O'Gorman Malone (1884–1961), the wife of

Dudley Field Malone Dudley Field Malone (June 3, 1885 – October 5, 1955) was an American attorney, politician, liberal activist, and actor. Malone is best remembered as one of the most prominent liberal attorneys in the United States during the decade of the 1920s ...

. * Ellen O'Gorman Duffy (1886–1975), a longtime trustee of Barnard College and president of the Women's University Club of New York. * Edith Patricia O'Gorman McDonald (1887–1910), who married attorney James A. McDonald in September 1910, and died the following November. * Dolorita O'Gorman Maher (1889–1981), the wife of businessman John A. Maher, whose father was

Edward A. Maher Edward A. Maher (May 20, 1848 – September 13, 1920) was a business executive and political figure from Albany, New York. A Democrat, he was most notable for his two terms in the New York State Assembly from 1883 to 1884 and his term as mayor o ...

. * Alice O'Gorman (1891–1965) * Ann Aloysia O'Gorman White (1892–1961), the wife of lumber company executive Paul M. White. * Agnes Katherine O'Gorman Shanley (1895–1974), the wife of architect Joseph Sanford Shanley. * James Aloysius O'Gorman (1898–1946), an attorney in New York City who died after being struck by a taxi. * Richard O'Gorman (1899–1899) * Robert Emmett O'Gorman (1900–1906)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ogorman, James Aloysius 1860 births 1943 deaths City College of New York alumni New York University School of Law alumni Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Queens) New York Supreme Court Justices Politicians from New York City Democratic Party United States senators from New York (state) New York (state) Democrats Pedestrian road incident deaths Road incident deaths in New York City Lawyers from New York City Catholics from New York (state)