Michael Francis Phelan (October 22, 1875 – October 12, 1941) was a

U.S. 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 c ...

from

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

. Born in

Lynn, Massachusetts Lynn is the eighth-largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line at Suffolk Downs, Lynn is part of Greater Boston's urban inner core. Settled by E ...

, Phelan attended the public schools. He graduated from Lynn Classical High School, from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1897, and from Harvard Law School in 1900. 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 ...

in 1900 and commenced practice in Lynn.

Massachusetts House of Representatives

1903 State Representative election

In 1903 Phelan ran for the office of Massachusetts State Representative, Phelan received 1,307 votes. Asa T. Newhall received 1,371 votes coming in second behind

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 ...

candidate John W. Blaney who received 1,434 votes. The district sent two representatives to the Massachusetts House, so although Newhall came in second in the vote total he was elected.

1904 State Representative election

In 1904 Phelan was elected as a Democrat to serve in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

of 1905.

United States House of Representatives

Election to Congress

Phelan 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-third and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1921).

Congressional Service

Phelan served as chairman of the Committee on Banking and Currency ( Sixty-fifth Congress). Phelan was an Irish nationalist, who tried to use his position as a congressman to bring attention to Irish nationalism. He was opposed to American entry into

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

on the grounds that he did not want the United States to be on the same side as the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in a war. Phelan was "deeply antisemitic," harboring a lifelong bigotry against Jewish people. He lamented the 1916 United States presidential election on the grounds that "both candidates were England-lovers and Jew sympathizers." He believed that both

Charles Evans Hughes Charles Evans Hughes Sr. (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was an American statesman, politician and jurist who served as the 11th Chief Justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the ...

and

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

were "profanely flawed" because both men were "pro-British" with regards to foreign policy, and because both men were outspokenly opposed to antisemitism.Michael Francis Phelan: Profile of an Antisemite Woodrow Wilson opposed Phelan when Phelan expressed support for limiting Jewish immigration to the United States. Phelan described this as "unforgiveable." Phelan was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1920 to the Sixty-seventh Congress. Practiced law in Lynn and Boston, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C.. He served as member of the Merrimac Valley Sewage Commission in 1937. He was appointed a member of the Massachusetts Labor Relations Board in 1937 and served until his death.

Personal life

Phelan was close friends with Massachusetts Governor and Senator

David Ignatius Walsh David Ignatius Walsh (November 11, 1872June 11, 1947) was an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 46th Governor of Massachusetts before serving several terms in the United ...

. Near the end of his life representative Phelan was a frequent reader of the periodical ''

Social Justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...

'', published by antisemitic priest

Charles Coughlin Charles Edward Coughlin ( ; October 25, 1891 – October 27, 1979), commonly known as Father Coughlin, was a Canadian-American Catholic priest based in the United States near Detroit. He was the founding priest of the National Shrine of the ...

.Father Coughlin: The Tumultuous Life of the Priest of the Little Flower by Sheldon Marcus, 1973

Death and burial

Phelan died in Boston, Massachusetts, October 12, 1941. Phelan was interred in St. Mary's Cemetery,

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelan, Michael Francis 1875 births 1941 deaths Harvard College alumni Harvard Law School alumni Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts Catholics from Massachusetts