Clare Gerald Fenerty (July 25, 1895 – July 1, 1952) was a Republican member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

for

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Biography

Born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, all four of Fenerty's grandparents were Irish immigrants. He graduated from St. Joseph's College in Philadelphia in 1916 and from the law department of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

at Philadelphia in 1921. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Fenerty served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

in 1917 and 1918. He reentered the naval service as a lieutenant, senior grade, in 1933. He was a member of the law faculty at the

Wharton School The Wharton School ( ) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia. Established in 1881 through a donation from Joseph Wharton, a co-founder of Bethlehem Steel, the Wharton ...

, University of Pennsylvania, 1924–1929; member of the Philadelphia Board of Law Examiners 1928–1940; assistant

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

at Philadelphia, 1928–1935. Fenerty was elected as a Republican to the

74th Congress The 74th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 193 ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1936. He was appointed judge of Common Pleas Court No. 5 of Philadelphia in November 1939 and was elected for a ten-year term in November 1941. He was reelected in November 1951 and served until his death in Philadelphia. He died on July 1, 1952, and was interred at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in

Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania Cheltenham Township is a home-rule township located in the southeast corner of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It borders Philadelphia to the south and east, Abington Township and Jenkintown to the north, and Springfield Tow ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenerty, Clare G. 1895 births 1952 deaths Burials at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery United States Navy personnel of World War I American people of Irish descent Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas Politicians from Philadelphia Saint Joseph's University alumni University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni University of Pennsylvania faculty Pennsylvania lawyers United States Navy officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 20th-century Pennsylvania state court judges 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives