Charles S. O'Connor
Clerk of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
In office
1934–1948
Preceded byJoseph P. Riley
Succeeded byFrederick L. Quinlan
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 10th Suffolk district
In office
1917–1918
Preceded bySamuel Davis
Succeeded byRobert E. Bigney
Personal details
Born(1879-03-01)March 1, 1879
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJuly 31, 1948(1948-07-31) (aged 69)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting placeNew Calvary Cemetery
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materSuffolk University Law School
OccupationLawyer

Charles S. O'Connor (March 1, 1879 – July 31, 1948) was an American politician who was clerk of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Boston school committee. He was a candidate for Mayor of Boston in the 1921 Boston mayoral election.

Early life

O'Connor was born on March 1, 1879, in Boston.[1] He was one of seven children born to Patrick and Catherine O’Connor.[2] One of his brothers, Patrick H. O'Connor, was also a member of the Massachusetts General Court.[3] He attended Boston College, but left to help support his family following his father's death. He worked in the counting and editorial rooms of The Boston Journal until 1899, when he went to work for the city of Boston. He started out as a rodman in the street department and from 1910 to 1916 he was a city health inspector.[2]

While working in the health department, O’Connor attended Suffolk University Law School at night. He graduated in 1913, passed the bar in 1915, and opened a law office in 1917.[2] O'Connor represented Eugene R. Drioly, a convicted murderer who was seeking a pardon, pro bono.[4] Drioly was pardoned on parole conditions on January 4, 1933.[5]

Political career

From 1917 to 1918, O’Connor represented the 10th Suffolk district in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.[1] In 1919 he was elected to the Boston school committee. He finished a distant third behind James Michael Curley and John R. Murphy in the 1921 Boston mayoral election.[2] In 1922, O’Connor chose not run for a second term on the school committee, instead focusing on his law practice.[6]

O’Connor ran for clerk of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in 1928, but lost by a few hundred votes. He was elected in 1934 and reelected in 1940 and 1946. He remained in office until his death on July 31, 1948.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Who's Who in State Politics. Boston: Practical Politics. 1918.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Charles S. O'Connor: Supreme Court Clerk Here 30 Years, at 73". The Boston Globe. August 1, 1948.
  3. ↑ "Deaths and Funerals: Patrick O'Connor Ex-Representative, State Senator, at 73". The Boston Globe. December 10, 1953.
  4. ↑ "Charges Campbell With Unfairness". The Boston Globe. February 26, 1932.
  5. ↑ "Four Confirmed by Executive Council". The Boston Globe. January 5, 1933.
  6. ↑ "City Election Five Weeks Off". The Boston Globe. November 9, 1922.
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