John Patrick Shanley Jr. (May 31, 1944 – August 3, 2021) was an American politician who served as a

South Kingstown South Kingstown is a town in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 31,931 at the 2020 census. South Kingstown is the second largest town in Rhode Island by total geographic area, behind New ...

Democratic member of the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is ...

from 2001 to 2009, representing the

Rhode Island General Assembly The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Se ...

's 49th House district for his first term and the Rhode Island General Assembly's 35th House district for three more terms, following the Rhode Island General Assembly's 2002 redistricting. Shanley is not related to playwright

John Patrick Shanley John Patrick Shanley (born October 13, 1950) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film ''Moonstruck''. His play, '' Doubt: A Parable'', won the 2005 Pulitzer Pri ...

Personal life

Shanley was born in 1944, to Esther Joyce Shanley and John Patrick Shanley in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

. Shanley attended and graduated from

Bishop Hendricken High School Bishop Hendricken High School (or Hendricken) is a Catholic, all-male, college preparatory high school located in Warwick, Rhode Island, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence. Founded by the Brothers of the Holy Cross in 1959, and named ...

in 1962. He received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Roman Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, it offers 47 undergraduate Academic ...

in 1966. Shanley then joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, and served until 1968, where he then obtained a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in Sociology from the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of Rhode Island. The univer ...

. Shanley worked for the

Rhode Island Department of Corrections The Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) is a government agency of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, responsible for operating state prisons. Its headquarters are located in Cranston. The Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) consist o ...

for 25 years starting from 1968 as a

probation and parole officer A probation or parole officer is an official appointed or sworn to investigate, report on, and supervise the conduct of convicted offenders on probation or those released from incarceration to community supervision such as parole. Most probatio ...

for

juvenile delinquents Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior younger than the statutory age of majority. These acts would be considered crimes if the individuals committing them were older. The term ...

. After retirement from the Department of Corrections, Shanley served as an associate professor at the

Roger Williams University Roger Williams University (RWU) is a private university in Bristol, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1956, it was named for theologian and Rhode Island cofounder Roger Williams. The school enrolled approximately 4,400 undergraduate and ...

School of Justice Studies from 1995 to 1999 and served as a

grant writer Grant writing is the practice of completing an application process for a financial grant, which are often provided by governments, corporations, foundations, and trusts. The skill of grant writing is known as grantsmanship. Grants are often writte ...

for Justice Assistance Corporation from 1999 to 2001. Shanley served on the board of governors for the Rhode Island

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, also known as BCBS, BCBSA, or The Blues, is a United States–based federation with 33 independent and locally operated BCBSA companies that provide health insurance to more than 115 million people in the U ...

as well as on the

Rhode Island Governor The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Dan McKee, a member of the Democratic ...

's Justice Committee. Shanley was married to Elaine Davis. They had two children together, Ann and Margaret. Shanley was 77 when he died at his

home in 2021.

Political career

Shanley was first elected to represent the Rhode Island General Assembly's 49th House district in the 2000 election, however following the Rhode Island General Assembly's 2002 redistricting, he was redistricted to the 35th House district, where he served three more terms. Shanley served on the House Finance Committee, the House Municipal Government and Housing Committee, and was Co-Chair of the House Veteran's Affairs Committee. Shanley served as a Deputy Majority Leader from 2007 to 2009. Shanley chose not to run for a fifth term in 2008 and was succeeded by

Rhode Island Commodore Rhode Island Commodore is Rhode Island's highest honor and an honorary title bestowed upon individuals by approval of the governor of Rhode Island. It is not a military rank, requires no duties, and carries with it no pay or other compensation. Ho ...

Michael A. Rice.

Elections

* 2000 Shanley ran unopposed in the September 12, 2000, Democratic primary, winning with 616 votes and won the November 7, 2000, General election with 3,310 votes, defeating Republican nominee Robert B. Votava. * 2002 Shanley ran unopposed in the September 10, 2002, Democratic primary, winning with 729 votes and won the November 5, 2002, General election with 1,977 votes, defeating Republican nominee Malcolm J. MacKenzie and

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

Robert B. Votava. * 2004 Shanley ran unopposed in the September 7, 2004, Democratic primary, winning with 301 votes and won the November 2, 2004, General election with 3,055 votes (64.09%), defeating Republican nominee Malcolm J. MacKenzie. * 2006 Shanley ran unopposed in the September 12, 2006, Democratic primary, winning with 539 votes and won the November 7, 2006, General election with 2,601 votes (58.62%), defeating Republican nominee James K. Haldeman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shanley, John P. Jr. 1944 births 2021 deaths Providence College alumni Democratic Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives American people of Irish descent People from South Kingstown, Rhode Island Politicians from Washington County, Rhode Island University of Rhode Island alumni Roger Williams University faculty 21st-century members of the Rhode Island General Assembly