Patrick J. McCarthy

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.

Patrick J. McCarthy
24th Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island
In office
January 1907 – January 1909
Preceded byElisha Dyer, Jr.
Succeeded byHenry Fletcher
Personal details
Born(1848-09-12)September 12, 1848
Greenvagh Parish, County Sligo, Ireland
DiedMarch 13, 1921(1921-03-13) (aged 72)
Providence, Rhode Island
Resting placeSt. Francis Cemetery, Pawtucket
NationalityIrish-American
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceProvidence, Rhode Island
Alma materHarvard Law School
OccupationLawyer
Portrait in Providence City Hall

Early life

Patrick McCarthy was born in Geevagh[1][2], 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
  1. "GEEVAGH - Independent.ie". Independent.ie. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  2. 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.
  3. "Mayors of the City of Providence". The City of Providence website. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 9 Jan 2016.
  4. Patrick J. McCarthy at Find a Grave
  5. "Inductee details: Mayor Patrick J. McCarthy". Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  6. 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.
  7. "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).
Political offices
Preceded by
Elisha Dyer, Jr.		 Mayor of Providence
1907–1909		 Succeeded by
Henry Fletcher
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