William O'Dwyer (July 11, 1890 – November 24, 1964) was an Irish-American politician who served as the 100th Mayor of New York City, holding that office from 1946 to 1950. O'Dwyer went on to serve President Harry Truman as Ambassador to Mexico from 1950–1952. O'Dwyer began his political career by serving as the Kings County District Attorney from 1940–45. His brother Paul O'Dwyer served as President of the City Council from 1973–77, and his nephew Brian O'Dwyer was appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul as New York State Gaming Commission Chair in 2022.
O'Dwyer was born in Bohola, County Mayo, Ireland and studied at St. Nathys College, Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon. In 1907, O'Dwyer began to study for the priesthood at the Pontifical University of Salamanca, a Jesuit seminary in Spain,[2] where he became fluent in Spanish.[3] He later decided not to join the clergy, and emigrated to the United States in 1910.[2] He sailed to New York as a steerage passenger on board the liner Philadelphia and was inspected at Ellis Island on June 27, 1910. He first worked as a laborer, then as a New York City police officer, while studying law at night at Fordham University Law School. He received his degree in 1923 and then built up a successful practice before serving as a Kings County (Brooklyn) Court judge. He won election as the Kings County District Attorney in November 1939[4] and his prosecution of the organized crime syndicate known as Murder, Inc. made him a national celebrity.
After losing the mayoral election to Fiorello La Guardia in 1941, O'Dwyer joined the United States Army for World War II, achieving the rank of brigadier general as a member of the Allied Commission for Italy and executive director of the War Refugee Board, for which he received the Legion of Merit.[5] During that time, he was on leave from his elected position as district attorney and replaced by his chief assistant, Thomas Cradock Hughes, and was re-elected in November 1943.
In 1945, O'Dwyer received the support of Tammany Hall leader Edward V. Loughlin, won the Democratic nomination, and then easily won the mayoral election. At his inauguration, O'Dwyer celebrated to the song, "It's a Great Day for the Irish", and addressed the 700 people gathered in Council Chambers at City Hall: "It is our high purpose to devote our whole time, our whole energy to do good work...." He established the Office of City Construction Coordinator, appointing Park CommissionerRobert Moses to the post, worked to have the permanent home of the United Nations located in Manhattan, presided over the first billion-dollar New York City budget, created a traffic department and raised the subway fare from five cents to ten cents. In 1948, O'Dwyer received The Hundred Year Association of New York's Gold Medal Award "in recognition of outstanding contributions to the City of New York." In 1948, he received the epithets "Whirling Willie" and "Flip-Flop Willie" from U.S. Representative Vito Marcantonio of the opposition American Labor Party while the latter was campaigning for Henry A. Wallace.[6]
Shortly after his re-election to the mayoralty in 1949, O'Dwyer was confronted with a police corruption scandal uncovered by the Kings County District Attorney, Miles McDonald. O'Dwyer resigned from office on August 31, 1950. Upon his resignation, he was given a ticker tape parade up Broadway's Canyon of Heroes in the borough of Manhattan. President Harry Truman appointed him U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. He returned to New York City in 1951 to answer questions concerning his association with organized crime figures and the accusations followed him for the rest of his life. He resigned as ambassador on December 6, 1952, but remained in Mexico until 1960.[7]
He helped organize the first Israel Day Parade,[8] along with New York's Jewish community.
In 1916, O'Dwyer married Catherine Lenihan, whom he met while he was working as a bartender at the Vanderbilt Hotel[13] and she was employed as one of the Vanderbilt's telephone switchboard operators.[2] They had no children, and she was in ill health for many years before her death in 1946.[14] Her funeral was originally planned for St. Joseph's Church in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan, where she and her husband were members.[15] The large number of attendees resulted in a move to St. Patrick's Cathedral, where the service was presided over by Cardinal Francis Spellman.[15]
On December 20, 1949, O'Dwyer married Elizabeth Sloan Simpson at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Stuart, Florida.[16] They divorced in 1953,[17] but remained close, and Simpson attended O'Dwyer's funeral in 1964.[18]
^"The Green Book: Mayors of the City of New York" May 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine on the official NYC website
^ abcDevine, Thomas W. (2019). Biography: O'Dwyer, William (11 July 1890–24 November 1964). American National Biography. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
^Lehman, Herbert H. (September 18, 1950). Congressional Record:U.S. Senate; Nomination of William O'Dwyer to be U.S. Ambassador to Mexico(PDF). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 14998.
^Hagerty, James A. (November 8, 1939). "Goldstein Winner – Schurman and Other La Guardia Choices Trail in Returns –O'Dwyer New Prosecutor – Organization Elects 9 Supreme Court Justices – Council Vote Count Begins Today". New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
^Ralph J. Caliendo, New York City Mayors: Part II: the Mayors of Greater New York From 1898, 2010, p. 90
^Hagerty, James A. (September 11, 1948). "48,000 Hear Wallace Assert Prejudice Will Fail in South". New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
^. City of New York. Archived from the original on August 7, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
^Jewish Telegraphic Agency, "150,000 Cheer Jewish State at New York Celebration of Israeli Independence Day", republished on Jewish News Archive, original story May 5, 1949 August 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
^The remarkable History of the O'Dwyer Family September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
^"William O'Dwyer profile". The New York Times. November 25, 1964. p. 36. Retrieved March 17, 2010.(subscription required)
^"Death Notices: William O'Dwyer". Daily News. New York, NY. November 26, 1964. p. 72 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Burial Information, William O'Dwyer". Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington, VA: Headquarters, Department of the Army. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
^DeStefano, Anthony M. (2018). Top Hoodlum: Frank Costello, Prime Minister of the Mafia. New York, NY: Citadel Press. p. 235. ISBN978-0-8065-3871-6.
^"President, Leaders Send Condolences to O'Dwyer". Brooklyn Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. October 14, 1946. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ab"Obituary, Mrs. William O'Dwyer". Daily News. New York, NY. October 14, 1946. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
william, dwyer, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, october, 20. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources William O Dwyer news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2007 Learn how and when to remove this template message William O Dwyer July 11 1890 November 24 1964 was an Irish American politician who served as the 100th Mayor of New York City holding that office from 1946 to 1950 O Dwyer went on to serve President Harry Truman as Ambassador to Mexico from 1950 1952 O Dwyer began his political career by serving as the Kings County District Attorney from 1940 45 His brother Paul O Dwyer served as President of the City Council from 1973 77 and his nephew Brian O Dwyer was appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul as New York State Gaming Commission Chair in 2022 William O DwyerO Dwyer in 1943100th Mayor of New York City 1 In office January 1 1946 August 31 1950Preceded byFiorello H La GuardiaSucceeded byVincent R ImpellitteriKings County District AttorneyIn office January 1 1940 August 1 1945Preceded byWilliam F X GeoghanSucceeded byGeorge J BeldockUnited States Ambassador to MexicoIn office November 23 1950 December 6 1952Appointed byHarry S TrumanPreceded byWalter C ThurstonSucceeded byFrancis WhitePersonal detailsBorn 1890 07 11 July 11 1890Bohola County Mayo IrelandDiedNovember 24 1964 1964 11 24 aged 74 New York City New York U S Political partyDemocraticSpousesCatherine Lenihan m 1916 died 1946 wbr Elizabeth Sloan Simpson m 1949 div 1953 wbr RelationsPaul O Dwyer brother Brian O Dwyer nephew Frank Durkan nephew Alma materFordham University Law SchoolProfessionAttorneyMilitary serviceAllegiance United StatesBranch service United States ArmyYears of service1942 1945RankBrigadier GeneralBattles warsWorld War IIAwardsLegion of Merit Contents 1 Life and career 2 Death 3 Family 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksLife and career EditO Dwyer was born in Bohola County Mayo Ireland and studied at St Nathys College Ballaghaderreen County Roscommon In 1907 O Dwyer began to study for the priesthood at the Pontifical University of Salamanca a Jesuit seminary in Spain 2 where he became fluent in Spanish 3 He later decided not to join the clergy and emigrated to the United States in 1910 2 He sailed to New York as a steerage passenger on board the liner Philadelphia and was inspected at Ellis Island on June 27 1910 He first worked as a laborer then as a New York City police officer while studying law at night at Fordham University Law School He received his degree in 1923 and then built up a successful practice before serving as a Kings County Brooklyn Court judge He won election as the Kings County District Attorney in November 1939 4 and his prosecution of the organized crime syndicate known as Murder Inc made him a national celebrity After losing the mayoral election to Fiorello La Guardia in 1941 O Dwyer joined the United States Army for World War II achieving the rank of brigadier general as a member of the Allied Commission for Italy and executive director of the War Refugee Board for which he received the Legion of Merit 5 During that time he was on leave from his elected position as district attorney and replaced by his chief assistant Thomas Cradock Hughes and was re elected in November 1943 In 1945 O Dwyer received the support of Tammany Hall leader Edward V Loughlin won the Democratic nomination and then easily won the mayoral election At his inauguration O Dwyer celebrated to the song It s a Great Day for the Irish and addressed the 700 people gathered in Council Chambers at City Hall It is our high purpose to devote our whole time our whole energy to do good work He established the Office of City Construction Coordinator appointing Park Commissioner Robert Moses to the post worked to have the permanent home of the United Nations located in Manhattan presided over the first billion dollar New York City budget created a traffic department and raised the subway fare from five cents to ten cents In 1948 O Dwyer received The Hundred Year Association of New York s Gold Medal Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to the City of New York In 1948 he received the epithets Whirling Willie and Flip Flop Willie from U S Representative Vito Marcantonio of the opposition American Labor Party while the latter was campaigning for Henry A Wallace 6 Shortly after his re election to the mayoralty in 1949 O Dwyer was confronted with a police corruption scandal uncovered by the Kings County District Attorney Miles McDonald O Dwyer resigned from office on August 31 1950 Upon his resignation he was given a ticker tape parade up Broadway s Canyon of Heroes in the borough of Manhattan President Harry Truman appointed him U S Ambassador to Mexico He returned to New York City in 1951 to answer questions concerning his association with organized crime figures and the accusations followed him for the rest of his life He resigned as ambassador on December 6 1952 but remained in Mexico until 1960 7 He helped organize the first Israel Day Parade 8 along with New York s Jewish community Death EditO Dwyer died in New York City on November 24 1964 in Beth Israel Hospital aged 74 from heart failure 9 10 His funeral mass was held at St Patrick s Cathedral on November 27 11 and he was interred at Arlington National Cemetery Section 2 Grave 889 A RH 12 Family EditIn 1916 O Dwyer married Catherine Lenihan whom he met while he was working as a bartender at the Vanderbilt Hotel 13 and she was employed as one of the Vanderbilt s telephone switchboard operators 2 They had no children and she was in ill health for many years before her death in 1946 14 Her funeral was originally planned for St Joseph s Church in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan where she and her husband were members 15 The large number of attendees resulted in a move to St Patrick s Cathedral where the service was presided over by Cardinal Francis Spellman 15 On December 20 1949 O Dwyer married Elizabeth Sloan Simpson at St Joseph s Catholic Church in Stuart Florida 16 They divorced in 1953 17 but remained close and Simpson attended O Dwyer s funeral in 1964 18 See also EditList of mayors of New York City New York City tugboat strike of 1946References Edit The Green Book Mayors of the City of New York Archived May 14 2012 at the Wayback Machine on the official NYC website a b c Devine Thomas W 2019 Biography O Dwyer William 11 July 1890 24 November 1964 American National Biography New York Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 860669 7 Retrieved September 9 2019 Lehman Herbert H September 18 1950 Congressional Record U S Senate Nomination of William O Dwyer to be U S Ambassador to Mexico PDF Washington DC U S Government Printing Office p 14998 Hagerty James A November 8 1939 Goldstein Winner Schurman and Other La Guardia Choices Trail in Returns O Dwyer New Prosecutor Organization Elects 9 Supreme Court Justices Council Vote Count Begins Today New York Times p 1 Retrieved October 21 2016 Ralph J Caliendo New York City Mayors Part II the Mayors of Greater New York From 1898 2010 p 90 Hagerty James A September 11 1948 48 000 Hear Wallace Assert Prejudice Will Fail in South New York Times p 1 Retrieved November 28 2017 William O Dwyer 100th Mayor 1946 1950 1890 1964 City of New York Archived from the original on August 7 2012 Retrieved November 23 2013 Jewish Telegraphic Agency 150 000 Cheer Jewish State at New York Celebration of Israeli Independence Day republished on Jewish News Archive original story May 5 1949 Archived August 11 2011 at the Wayback Machine The remarkable History of the O Dwyer Family Archived September 27 2011 at the Wayback Machine William O Dwyer profile The New York Times November 25 1964 p 36 Retrieved March 17 2010 subscription required Death Notices William O Dwyer Daily News New York NY November 26 1964 p 72 via Newspapers com Burial Information William O Dwyer Arlington National Cemetery Arlington VA Headquarters Department of the Army Retrieved November 23 2017 DeStefano Anthony M 2018 Top Hoodlum Frank Costello Prime Minister of the Mafia New York NY Citadel Press p 235 ISBN 978 0 8065 3871 6 President Leaders Send Condolences to O Dwyer Brooklyn Eagle Brooklyn NY October 14 1946 p 9 via Newspapers com a b Obituary Mrs William O Dwyer Daily News New York NY October 14 1946 p 30 via Newspapers com Sky Arched by Rainbow as Couple Takes Vows Star Gazette Elmira NY Associated Press December 20 1949 p 1 via Newspapers com Valery Bernard June 7 1953 A Toreador in Her Life Lot of Bull Says Sloan Daily News New York NY pp 3 90 91 via Newspapers com Sloan Here for Funeral Daily News New York NY November 25 1964 p 2 via Newspapers com External links Edit nbsp Media related to William O Dwyer at Wikimedia Commons Arlington National CemeteryLegal officesPreceded byWilliam F X Geoghan Kings County District Attorney1940 1945 Succeeded byGeorge J BeldockParty political officesPreceded byJeremiah T Mahoney Democratic Nominee for Mayor of New York City1941 1945 1949 Succeeded byFerdinand PecoraPolitical officesPreceded byFiorello H La Guardia Mayor of New York City1946 1950 Succeeded byVincent R ImpellitteriDiplomatic postsPreceded byWalter C Thurston United States Ambassador to Mexico1950 1952 Succeeded byFrancis White Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William O 27Dwyer amp oldid 1170249046, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
