William O'Dwyer

William O'Dwyer ( born July 11, 1890 in Bohola, County Mayo, Ireland, † November 24, 1964 in New York City ) was an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. From 1946 to 1950 he was mayor of New York City.

Background and education

William O'Dwyer was born in 1890 in the Irish Bohola. After canceling his training as a priest in 1910, he emigrated to the United States, where he worked first as a laborer and later as a police officer in New York City. In 1923, he took a law degree from Fordham University. Then O'Dwyer worked as a lawyer in private practice and later as a judge in Brooklyn. In 1939 he was elected District Attorney ( District Attorney ) for Kings County ( Brooklyn ). As District Attorney, he gained national prominence through the destruction of the gangster syndicate Murder, Inc., which was responsible for hundreds of murders. After O'Dwyer had failed as a Democratic challenger in the New York mayoral election of 1941 against incumbent Fiorello LaGuardia, he enlisted in the army and there rose to brigadier general.

Political career

1945 O'Dwyer again occurred at the election for mayor and was elected with strong support of the Democratic Party bosses of Tammany Hall, the successor LaGuardia, who did not stand again.

As Mayor O'Dwyer was responsible for the construction of schools and social housing, and reached that the United Nations set up its permanent seat in New York. He also sat through the first fare increase for the New York subway from 5 to 10 cents.

The term of office O'Dwyers was overshadowed by numerous corruption scandals, particularly the police, the NYPD. When, shortly after his reelection in 1949 a renewed police scandal threatened to undermine his government, he resigned on 1 September 1950 and was appointed by President Harry S. Truman as ambassador to Mexico. In 1951 he returned briefly to New York to testify about his connections to organized crime. Although O'Dwyer already on 6 December 1952 after the election of Eisenhower, resigned his appointment as ambassador, he remained in Mexico. In 1960 he returned to New York City, where he died on 24 November 1964. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Swell

• Michael J. O'Neill: "Surrounded by Rascals ", New York Times, August 16, 1987 (English).
• CV on the website of Arlington National Cemetery ( English)
• List of mayors of New York City since 1898 ( English)