Joseph Francis O'Connell (December 7, 1872 – December 10, 1942) was an American lawyer, academic, and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

from 1907 to 1911.

Early life and education

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, O'Connell attended the Mather School of Boston and prepared for college at St. Mary's Parochial School. Boston Eagles footb 1893

He was graduated from

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classified ...

in 1893. While at Boston College, O'Connell and Joseph Drum helped create the first Boston College football teambr>
O'Connell was graduated from

Harvard University Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating la ...

in 1896, was admitted to the Suffolk bar in 1897, and commenced the practice of law in Boston.

U.S. Representative

O'Connell was elected as a Democrat to the Sixtieth and Sixty-first Congresses (March 4, 1907 - March 3, 1911). In 1908, he was re-elected by just 4 votes over former Boston City Clerk J. Mitchel Galvin. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1910. In a three-way primary with former Representative

William S. McNary William Sarsfield McNary (March 29, 1863 – June 26, 1930) was an American Democratic politician who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from Boston, Massachusetts and exercised tremendous influence over the Massachusetts Democratic Party ...

and Boston City Councilor

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. He also served a single term as governor of Massachusetts, characterize ...

, O'Connell came in second behind Curley.

Later career

After his defeat in 1910, O'Connell resumed the practice of law in Boston and remained active in politics. He served as a delegate to the

1912 Democratic National Convention The 1912 Democratic National Convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory off North Howard Street in Baltimore from June 25 to July 2, 1912. The Convention The convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore from June 25 t ...

. In 1914, O'Connell was appointed to the National Conference on Uniform State Laws by Governor David I. Walsh. He was re-appointed by each succeeding governor and served until his death. In May 1917, O'Connell was elected to serve as a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention, representing the 12th congressional district. The convention convened on June 6, 1917 and adjourned on August 13, 1919. O'Connell served as a delegate to the

1920 Democratic National Convention Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

. In 1923, O'Connell served as member of the State commission to revise the charter of the city of Boston in 1923. O'Connell unsuccessfully ran for

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 po ...

in 1930 and

Mayor of Boston The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a mayor to a four ...

in 1933.

Personal life

On November 23, 1910, O'Connell married Marasita Lenahan, daughter of his former Congressional colleague

John T. Lenahan John Thomas Lenahan (November 15, 1852 – April 28, 1920) was a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Biography John T. Lenahan was born in Jenkins Township, Pennsylvania. ...

, at St. Mary's Church in

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the s ...

. The couple had 11 childre

He was Professor of Law and vice president of the board of trustees of Suffolk University Law School, Suffolk Law School in Boston.

Death

O'Connell died in

on December 10, 1942, three days after his 70th birthday and was interred at St. Joseph's Cemetery,

West Roxbury, Massachusetts West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts bordered by Roslindale and Jamaica Plain to the northeast, the town of Brookline to the north, the cities and towns of Newton and Needham to the northwest and the town of Dedham to th ...

References

Bibliography

*Beatty. Jack .: ''The Rascal King: The Life and Times of James Michael Curley (1874–1958)'' Da Capo Press, (2000) pp. 114–116. *''Journal of the Constitutional Convention of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1919) pp. 7–8, 865, 971. *''Who's who in State Politics, 1908'' Practical Politics (1908) p. 18.

External links

O'Connell's biography on his law firms website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Joseph F. 1872 births 1942 deaths American educators Harvard Law School alumni Massachusetts lawyers Members of the 1917 Massachusetts Constitutional Convention People from Greater Boston Boston College Eagles football players Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts People from Dorchester, Massachusetts Catholics from Massachusetts