Jerome Francis Donovan (February 1, 1872 – November 2, 1949) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms as a

United States representative 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 ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

from 1918 to 1921.

Early life

Jerome F. Donovan was born in

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

on February 1, 1872. He attended the public schools, graduated from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...

in 1894, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in New Haven.

Military career

Donovan joined the

Connecticut Army National Guard The Connecticut Military Department is a state agency of the government of Connecticut. Its primary components are the Connecticut Army National Guard, the Connecticut Air National Guard, and four companies of the state militia. The Military D ...

for the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, and served as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

C, 2nd

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

from 1897 to 1903. Afterwards he was active in the

United Spanish War Veterans The United Spanish War Veterans was an American veterans' organization which consisted of veterans of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War and China Relief Expedition. Origins Soon after the Spanish–American War ended, in early ...

.United Spanish War Veterans, Department of New York
Annual Meeting Proceedings
1919, page 528

Political career

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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, Donovan was a member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each ...

from 1901 to 1903, and New Haven City Auditor from 1902 to 1904. From 1904 to 1906 he was Secretary of the New Haven Civil Service Commission. Donovan moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1910 and continued to practice law. From 1911 to 1913 he served as a state Special Deputy Attorney General. In 1918 he was elected to the

65th Congress The 65th 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 March 4, 1917, ...

in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

George Murray Hulbert George Murray Hulbert (May 14, 1881 – April 26, 1950) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who was a United States representative from New York and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern Di ...

. Later in 1918 he was elected to a full term in the 66th Congress, and he served in the House from March 5, 1918, to March 4, 1921. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1920. From 1923 to 1924 Donovan served as Deputy Attorney General for the New York State Department of Labor. He then resumed the practice of law in New York City until retiring in 1936.

Death

In retirement Donovan resided in

Stony Creek, Connecticut Stony Creek is a coastal village located the southeastern section of Branford, Connecticut, United States, centered on a harbor on Long Island Sound. Stony Creek has the ambiance of a small seaside village which retains its roots as a summer va ...

, where he died on November 2, 1949, and was buried at St. Bernard's Cemetery in New Haven.

References

External links

* 1872 births 1949 deaths Politicians from New Haven, Connecticut Yale Law School alumni Connecticut lawyers New York (state) lawyers National Guard (United States) officers American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Connecticut National Guard personnel Lawyers from New Haven, Connecticut 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly {{NewYork-Representative-stub