John Joseph Delaney (August 21, 1878 – November 18, 1948) was an American lawyer and politician who served ten terms as a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from New York from 1918 to 1919, and then from 1931 to 1948. He was elected to an 11th term in 1948 but died shortly after the election.

Early life and career

Delaney was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, he attended St. Ann's Parochial School and St. James' Academy in Brooklyn and Manhattan College. He engaged in the diamond business in 1897, was graduated from the

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and a number of adjunct faculty. Brookly ...

of St. Lawrence University in 1914, 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 ...

in 1915 and commenced practice in New York City.

First term in Congress

Delaney was elected as 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 (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Sixty-fifth Congress, by special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Representative John J. Fitzgerald, and held office from March 5, 1918 to March 3, 1919.

New York public official

He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1918 and resumed his former business pursuits. He was a delegate to the Democratic State conventions in 1922 and 1924 and was deputy

Commissioner of Public Markets The Commissioner of Public Markets, Weights, and Measures of the City of New York was a cabinet-level post appointed by the mayor of New York City during World War I, when foodstuffs were in short supply and people began hoarding. The goal was to ...

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 ...

from 1924 to 1931.

Return to Congress

He was again elected as a Democrat to the House of Representatives, this time to the Seventy-second Congress, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative-elect Matthew V. O'Malley.

Death

Delaney was reelected to the eight succeeding Congresses, holding office from November 3, 1931 to November 18, 1948. He was reelected in 1948 to the Eighty-first Congress but died on November 18, 1948, in Brooklyn. Interment was in Holy Cross Cemetery.

References