Herbert Romulus O'Conor
(November 17, 1896 –
March 4, 1960), a
Democrat, was the
51st Governor of
Maryland in the United
States
from 1939 to 1947. He also served in the
United States Senate,
representing Maryland from 1947 to 1953.
O'Conor
was born in Baltimore,
Maryland
to James P. A. O'Conor and Mary A. (Galvin)
O'Conor.
He received his B.A. degree from Loyola
College
and graduated from the University of Maryland School
of Law in 1920. While in school, O'Conor was a reporter
for the
Baltimore Sun and
Baltimore Evening Sun from 1919 to
1920. On November 24, 1920, O'Conor married Mary Eugenia Byrnes
(1896 – 1971) and they had five children, Herbert R. Jr., Eugene
F., James Patrick, Robert and Mary Patricia.
From 1921 to 1922, O'Conor served as the assistant state's attorney
for Baltimore. In 1923, he was elected State's Attorney of
Baltimore City, and served there until he was elected as the
Attorney General of
Maryland in 1932. O'Conor also served in the National
Association of Attorneys General in 1937. His secretary, Camilla
Conroy, died in the burning of the luxury liner
SS Morro Castle in 1934. O'Conor
identified her body which was found face under close to the wreck
site.
O'Conor was elected as Governor of Maryland in 1939.
In doing so, he became
the first Roman Catholic of
Irish
descent to serve in that position. As
governor, O'Conor created the Maryland Council of Defense during
the
Second World War. He also
worked towards improving the state transportation system, and
worked towards the construction of new bridges over the
Susquehanna and
Potomac Rivers. He also worked with other
states to encourage inter-state cooperation, and served in
positions including the Chairman of the Governor's Conference in
1941, and the President of the Council of State Government in
1943.
Near the end of World War II, O'Conor sought to improve the effects
of the War and founded the Commission on Post War Reconstruction
and Development. He also sought to improve the Maryland healthcare
system.
O'Conor resigned in 1947 after having been elected to the
United States Senate, but chose not to
run for re-election in 1953. In the Senate, Hughes served as
chairman of the Special Committee on Organized Crime in Interstate
Commerce during the Eighty-first Congress.
After his tenure in
Senate, he continued the practice of law in Baltimore and Washington,
D.C.
, until his death in Baltimore. He is
interred in New Cathedral Cemetery.
Building dedications
- Herbert R. O'Conor State Building in Baltimore,
Maryland.[92088]
References
External links
-
http://aomol.net/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000409/html/index.html
Addresses, Messages and Public papers. From The Archives of
Maryland
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