Stephen John McMahon (January 13, 1881 – February 14, 1960) was a judge of the

United States Board of Tax Appeals The United States Tax Court (in case citations, T.C.) is a federal trial court of record established by Congress under Article I of the U.S. Constitution, section 8 of which provides (in part) that the Congress has the power to "constitute ...

(later the

United States Tax Court The United States Tax Court (in case citations, T.C.) is a Federal judiciary of the United States, federal trial court court of record, of record established by US Congress, Congress under Article One of the United States Constitution, Article ...

) from 1929 to 1936, and a candidate for the United States Senate in 1938. Born in

Manitowoc County, Wisconsin Manitowoc County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 81,359. Its county seat is Manitowoc. The county was created in 1836 prior to Wisconsin's statehood and organized in 1848. Manitowoc C ...

, McMahon was raised on a farm in the town of Meeme, in that county. He graduated from Manitowoc High School in 1898 and attended

Milwaukee Normal School Wisconsin State College of Milwaukee was a predecessor institution of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Founded in 1885 as Wisconsin State Normal School, it became Wisconsin State Teachers College-Milwaukee in 1927, and Wisconsin State Col ...

before receiving a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

in 1903, followed by a law degree from the same institution in 1906."Famous Judge, County Native, Dies in East", ''Manitowoc Herald-Times'' (February 17, 1960), p. 19. McMahon was a high school principal in

Mount Horeb, Wisconsin Mount Horeb is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,754 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Madison metropolitan area. History The Ho-Chunk nation The Village of Mount Horeb is par ...

and superintendent of schools at

Black River Falls, Wisconsin Black River Falls is a city in Jackson County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 3,523 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located along the Black River (Wisconsin), Black River and home to the h ...

, later serving as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin and a member of the law school faculty at

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

."Stephen J. McMahon in Race for U.S. Senate Seat", ''The Capital Times'' (April 22, 1938), p. 1, 8. In 1929, McMahon was appointed by President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

to a seat on the Board of Tax Appeals vacated by the resignation of Forest D. Siefkin.S.J. McMahon Named to Tax Appeals Board
, ''Washington Evening Star'' (May 15, 1929), p. 4. McMahon resigned from that position in 1936, and in 1938, he sought the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Wisconsin, citing his experience on the Board as providing insight into the burdens of taxation. However, McMahon was unsuccessful, losing the nomination to

Alexander Wiley Alexander Wiley (May 26, 1884 – October 26, 1967) was an American politician who served four terms in the United States Senate for the state of Wisconsin from 1939 to 1963. When he left the Senate, he was its most senior Republican member. ...

, who would go on to win the general election. From 1945 to 1948, McMahon served as a legal and economic specialist for the

United States War Department The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, als ...

, in Japan and Korea. Following this service, he moved to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, where he resided until his death. He died in his home, following a pulmonary collapse.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McMahon, Stephen J. 1881 births 1960 deaths People from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Marquette University faculty Members of the United States Board of Tax Appeals United States Article I federal judges appointed by Herbert Hoover Wisconsin lawyers Wisconsin Republicans