Patrick J. McCarthy
Patrick J. McCarthy | |
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24th Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island | |
In office January 1907 – January 1909 | |
Preceded by | Elisha Dyer Jr. |
Succeeded by | Henry Fletcher |
Personal details | |
Born | Greenvagh Parish, County Sligo, Ireland | September 12, 1848
Died | March 13, 1921 Providence, Rhode Island | (aged 72)
Resting place | St. Francis Cemetery, Pawtucket |
Nationality | Irish-American |
Political party | Democratic |
Residence | Providence, Rhode Island |
Alma mater | Harvard Law School |
Occupation | Lawyer |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Patrick_J._McCarthy_Providence_Mayor.jpg/220px-Patrick_J._McCarthy_Providence_Mayor.jpg)
Patrick Joseph McCarthy (September 12, 1848 – March 13, 1921) was the 24th mayor of Providence, Rhode Island and the first Providence mayor born in a foreign country.
Early life[]
Patrick McCarthy was born in Geevagh[1][2][1], County Sligo, Ireland,[3] on September 12, 1848.[4] His family came to the United States to escape the Great Famine in 1850.[5] The family was quarantined on Deer Island in Boston Harbor, and both Patrick's parents died there.[5] Patrick and his five brothers were separated into different orphanages, adoption agencies, and homes of relatives.[3][6] Young "P.J.", as he was known, lived with various extended relatives and poor houses, until a wealthy Bostonian agreed to fund his education.[5]
McCarthy moved to Providence in 1868, then earned a law degree from Harvard University Law School in 1876.[5]
Career[]
McCarthy became involved in fraternal and educational societies in the Catholic Church and became known in Providence's growing Irish Catholic community.[5] McCarthy became a prominent lawyer and served on the City Council and the Rhode Island House of Representatives in the 1890s.[6]
He ran for the Providence Mayor's office on a progressive reform ticket in 1906, as a long shot candidate.[6] He was a populist, and attacked the local trolley monopoly, tax policies, and educational barriers.[5] He was in favor of expanding suffrage.[5] He was in favor of eight-hour workdays for city workers, retirement pay for teachers, and pensions for police and firefighters.[3]
The Cranston Street Armory was built during McCarthy's term.[3]
Death, burial, and legacy[]
McCarthy died on March 13, 1921 and he is buried at St. Francis Cemetery, in Pawtucket.[5] A large, ornate Celtic cross marks his resting place.[5][6] 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.[6]
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.[7]
McCarthy was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2008.[5]
References[]
- ^ "GEEVAGH - Independent.ie". Independent.ie. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
- ^ Society, American-Irish Historical; Murray, Thomas Hamilton; Lawler, Thomas Bonaventure; McGowan, Patrick F.; Lee, Thomas Zanslaur; Daly, Edward Hamilton; Coyle, John G.; McSweeney, Edward Francis; Murphy, John Joseph (1921-01-01). The Journal of the American Irish Historical Society ... The Society.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Mayors of the City of Providence". The City of Providence website. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 9 Jan 2016.
- ^ Patrick J. McCarthy at Find a Grave
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j "Inductee details: Mayor Patrick J. McCarthy". Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Malloy, Scott. "THE IRISH IN RHODE ISLAND: A Long Struggle to Enter the Mainstream". Rhode Island Irish Famine Memorial Committee, Inc. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ "Mayor Taveras Unveils Restored Portrait of Mayor Patrick J. McCarthy". City Archives. City of Providence. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
Further reading[]
- Mary Josephine Bannon, ed., Autobiographical Memoirs of Hon. Patrick J. McCarthy (Providence: Providence Visitor Press, 1927).
External links[]
- Patrick J. McCarthy at Find a Grave
- Guide to the McCarthy-Bannon Family Collection from the Rhode Island State Archives
- People from County Sligo
- Rhode Island lawyers
- Mayors of Providence, Rhode Island
- 1848 births
- 1921 deaths
- Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923)
- Rhode Island Democrats
- Harvard Law School alumni
- Burials in Rhode Island
- 19th-century American lawyers