John Joseph McGrath (July 23, 1872 – August 25, 1951) was an Irish-American politician who served as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

from

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

for three terms from 1933 to 1939.

Biography

McGrath was born in

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

, Ireland, while the country was a part of 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. He was educated at the Christian Brothers College in

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

and immigrated to the United States at the age of seventeen, living initially in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He studied law briefly and worked as a salesman and sales manager for many years, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1896. In California he served as postmaster of San Mateo from 1916 to 1925, and as a justice of the peace in

San Mateo County San Mateo County ( ), officially the County of San Mateo, is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 764,442. Redwood City, California, Redwood City is th ...

from 1928 to 1932.

Congress

In 1932 he was elected to Congress 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, defeating incumbent Arthur M. Free in the 8th district, which ran from San Mateo County south across Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and

Monterey Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a population of 30,218 in the 2020 census. The city was fou ...

Counties. He served three full terms from 1933 to 1939, but was defeated for re-election in 1938 by Republican Jack Z. Anderson.

Later career and death

Subsequently, he served as commissioner for immigration and naturalization in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

from 1939 to 1940 before retiring. He died in 1951 in San Mateo.

Electoral history

References

1872 births 1951 deaths 20th-century California politicians American justices of the peace Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California Irish emigrants to the United States People educated at Christian Brothers College, Cork People from San Mateo, California Politicians from Limerick (city) San Francisco Bay Area politicians 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{California-Representative-stub