Patrick Joseph McCarthy (September 12, 1848 – March 13, 1921) was the 24th mayor of

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, and the first Providence mayor born in a foreign country.

Early life

Patrick McCarthy was born in

Geevagh Geevagh () is a village in the south-east corner of County Sligo, Ireland, on the R284 regional road. The name, meaning "the windy (place)", describes a climatic feature of the village and its surrounding countryside. The name Geevagh also re ...

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the loc ...

, Ireland, on September 12, 1848. His family came to the United States to escape the Great Famine in 1850. The family was quarantined on Deer Island in

Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeastern United States. History Sinc ...

, and both Patrick's parents died there. Patrick and his five brothers were separated into different orphanages, adoption agencies, and homes of relatives. Young "P.J.", as he was known, lived with various extended relatives and poor houses, until a wealthy Bostonian agreed to fund his education. McCarthy moved to

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

in 1868, then earned a law degree from

Harvard University Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each c ...

in 1876.

Career

McCarthy became involved in fraternal and educational societies in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and became known in Providence's growing

Irish Catholic Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the Briti ...

community. McCarthy became a prominent lawyer and served on the City Council and 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 of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is composed of 75 members, elected ...

in the 1890s. He ran for the Providence Mayor's office on a

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy pa ...

reform ticket in 1906, as a long shot candidate. He was a populist, and attacked the local trolley monopoly, tax policies, and educational barriers. He was in favor of expanding suffrage. He was in favor of eight-hour workdays for city workers, retirement pay for teachers, and pensions for police and firefighters. The

Cranston Street Armory The Cranston Street Armory is an historic building in the Broadway–Armory Historic District of Providence, Rhode Island. It was built in 1907 at a cost of $650,000.00. The building was occupied by the Rhode Island National Guard from its openin ...

was built during McCarthy's term.

Death, burial, and legacy

McCarthy died on March 13, 1921, and he is buried at St. Francis Cemetery, in Pawtucket. A large, ornate Celtic cross marks his resting place. After his death, the New England elite pointed to McCarthy as an example of how Irish immigrants could succeed in America if they worked hard. His portrait in Providence City Hall was restored in 2012, and for a time hung above the mantle in the office of then-mayor

Angel Taveras Angel Taveras (born August 18, 1970) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 37th mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, from 2011 to 2015. Taveras was the first Hispanic mayor of the city and the third elected and fourth serving Domini ...

. McCarthy was inducted into the

Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame was established in the State of Rhode Island in 1965. Its mission statement states that the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame "exists to honor and recognize, and to extol and publicize the achievements of th ...

in 2008.

References

External links

*
Guide to the McCarthy-Bannon Family Collection
from the Rhode Island State Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, Patrick J. 20th-century mayors of places in Rhode Island People from Geevagh Rhode Island lawyers Mayors of Providence, Rhode Island 1848 births 1921 deaths Irish emigrants to the United States Rhode Island Democrats Harvard Law School alumni Burials in Rhode Island 19th-century American lawyers Politicians from County Sligo

Early life

Career

Death, burial, and legacy

References

Further reading

External links