John Robert Foley (October 16, 1917 – November 11, 2001) was an American attorney and politician who served as a 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

Maryland's 6th congressional district Maryland's 6th congressional district elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives from the northwest part of the state. The district comprises all of Garrett, Allegany, Frederick, and Washington counties as well as a po ...

from 1959 to 1961.

Early life and education

Foley was born in

Wabasha, Minnesota Wabasha is a city and the county seat of Wabasha County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,559 at the time of the 2020 census. It is on the Mississippi River, near its confluence with the Zumbro River. Name Wabasha is named afte ...

, the grandson of Irish immigrants, and graduated from St. Felix High School in 1935. After he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the St. Thomas College in 1940, he 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 ...

following the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, serving from 1941 to 1946. He received his

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree from

Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...

in 1947, and received his L.L.M. degree from

Columbus School of Law The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law is the law school of the Catholic University of America, a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. More than 370 Juris Doctor students attend the ...

in 1950.

Career

After school, Foley became a lawyer in private practice. He was also a professor, and was elected judge of the Orphan's (Probate) Court of

Montgomery County, Maryland Montgomery County is the most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the county's population was 1,062,061, increasing by 9.3% from 2010. The county seat is Rockville, Maryland ...

, serving from 1954 to 1958. He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for election to Congress in 1956, but was elected as a Democrat to Congress two years later, serving one term from January 3, 1959, to January 3, 1961. Foley voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1960 The Civil Rights Act of 1960 () is a United States federal law that established federal inspection of local voter registration polls and introduced penalties for anyone who obstructed someone's attempt to register to vote. It dealt primarily wi ...

. He tried two further times for election in 1960 and 1962, but was unsuccessful both times.

Personal life

He died from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

Kensington, Maryland Kensington is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,122 at the 2020 United States census. Greater Kensington encompasses the entire 20895 ZIP Code, ZIP code, with a population of 1 ...

in November 2001.

References

External links

1917 births 2001 deaths People from Wabasha, Minnesota United States Army personnel of World War II American people of Irish descent Maryland state court judges Georgetown University Law Center alumni Columbus School of Law alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland 20th-century Maryland state court judges 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{Maryland-politician-stub