John M. Cunningham | |
---|---|
Member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council from the 4th district | |
In office 1941–1943 | |
Preceded by | Daniel H. Coakley |
Succeeded by | John J. Sawtelle |
Personal details | |
Born | Boston |
Died | September 18,1952 (aged 79) Boston |
Political party | Democratic |
Alma mater | Georgetown University Boston University School of Law |
Occupation | Lawyer |
John Madigan Cunningham [1] was an American attorney who served as legal counsel to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.
Cunningham was born in Boston to H. Vincent and Anna Smith (Madigan) Cunningham. He attended Boston Public Schools before entering Fordham Preparatory School. At Fordham,Cunningham was class president for four years. After graduating in 1914,Cunningham attended Georgetown University. From 1917 to 1919,Cunningham worked as an assistant on the legal staff at the American consulate in Paris. [2]
In 1922,Cunningham graduated from the Boston University School of Law. He then worked for his father's firm in Boston. Cunningham served as legal counsel for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and frequently appeared before the Massachusetts General Court on behalf of the Cardinal William Henry O'Connell. He also served on an Archdiocese committee that fought against the legalization of birth control. [2]
Following the impeachment of Massachusetts Governor's Councilor Daniel H. Coakley,Cunningham was appointed to succeed him. His appointment was backed by Republican House Speaker Christian Herter,who argued that because the 4th Council District was overwhelmingly Democratic,a Democrat should be appointed to represent it. [3] Although a Democrat,Cunningham supported Republican Governor Leverett Saltonstall. [2] His nomination was approved on a mostly party-line votes with Republicans supporting the "dark horse" Cunningham and the Democrats back the more well-known John E. Powers. [4]
Cunningham also served as a special assistant to the president of Georgetown University,was a director of the Boston Chamber of Commerce,and served as chairman of Jamaica Plain's draft board. [2]
On October 17,1929,Cunningham married Mildred Manning,the daughter of tobacco merchant Joseph P. Manning. The ceremony was presided over by Cardinal O'Connell. [1]
Cunningham died on February 15,1973,at Massachusetts General Hospital. He was survived by his wife and two daughters. He was buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Roslindale. [2]
Francis Joseph Spellman was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of New York from 1939 until his death in 1967. Spellman previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston from 1932 to 1939. He was created a cardinal by Pius XII in 1946.
Michael Everett Capuano is an American politician and attorney who served as a U.S. Representative of Massachusetts from 1999 to 2019. A Democrat,his district included the northern three-fourths of Boston,as well as parts of Cambridge,his hometown of Somerville,and other communities immediately north and south of Boston. Prior to being elected to Congress,he served as an Alderman and Mayor of Somerville.
James Michael Curley was an American Democratic politician from Boston,Massachusetts. He served four terms as mayor of Boston from 1914 to 1955. Curley ran for mayor in every election for which he was legally qualified. He was twice convicted of criminal behavior and notably served time in prison during his last term as mayor. He also served a single term as governor of Massachusetts. He is remembered as one of the most colorful figures in Massachusetts politics.
William Henry O'Connell was an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1907 until his death in 1944,and was made a cardinal in 1911.
Seán Patrick O'Malley is an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Boston from 2003 to 2024. He has served as president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors since 2014. He is also a founding member of the Council of Cardinals,formed by Pope Francis 2013. A member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin,he was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory,or archdiocese,of the Catholic Church in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. Its mother church is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. The archdiocese is the fourth largest in the United States.
Richard James Cushing was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1944 to 1970 and was made a cardinal in 1958. Cushing's main role was as fundraiser and builder of new churches,schools,and institutions. Unlike his predecessor,he was on good terms with practically the entire Boston elite,as he softened the traditional confrontation between the Catholic Irish and the Protestant upper-class. He built useful relationships with Jews,Protestants,and institutions outside the usual Catholic community. He helped presidential candidate John F. Kennedy deflect fears of papal interference in American government if a Catholic became president.
Paul Grattan Kirk Jr. is an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Massachusetts from 2009 to 2010,having been appointed to fill the vacancy created by the death of Ted Kennedy. From 1985 to 1989,he chaired the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
Saint John's Seminary,located in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston,Massachusetts,is a Catholic major seminary sponsored by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. The current rector is Rev. Msgr. Stephen E. Salocks.
Harrison Henry Atwood was an American architect and politician who represented Boston in the United States House of Representatives from 1895 to 1897 and for several nonconsecutive terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He was a member of the Republican Party but was also supported by the Progressive Party during his later terms in the Massachusetts House.
William Sarsfield McNary was an American Democratic politician who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from Boston,Massachusetts,and exercised tremendous influence over the Massachusetts Democratic Party.
Jeremiah Francis Minihan was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston from 1954 until his death in 1973.
The 2014 Massachusetts gubernatorial election took place on November 4,2014,to elect the governor of Massachusetts,concurrently with the election of Massachusetts' Class II U.S. Senate seat,and other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
Mark William O'Connell is a Canadian-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts since 2016. He has been the vicar general and moderator of the curia of the archdiocese since 2023.
Daniel Henry Coakley was an American Democratic politician and attorney from Massachusetts. He was a key figure in early 20th century Boston politics,as an ally to District Attorney Joseph C. Pelletier and as an on-again-off-again ally to Mayor James Michael Curley. As an attorney,Coakley took part in numerous badger game extortion schemes and was disbarred in 1922 for deceit,malpractice,and gross misconduct.
Henry Parkman Jr. was an American politician who served in various offices in Massachusetts and the United States federal government.
Jarvis Hunt was an American politician who served as President of the Massachusetts Senate from 1942 to 1944.
William Edward Weeks was an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and as Mayor of Everett,Massachusetts.
Monsignor Charles Alphonsus "Zip" Finn was a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston. At the time of his death,he was the oldest priest in the United States,the oldest alumnus of Boston College,and the Pontifical North American College,and the oldest Knight of Columbus.
James Henry Vahey was an American lawyer and politician.