Arthur Joseph O’Keefe was mayor of New Orleans from 1926 through 1929.

Born in New Orleans, O’Keefe was the son of Arthur O’Keefe and Sarah (Hanley) O'Keefe. He was educated at St. Aloysius High School

Brother Martin High School

Brother Martin High School is an all-male, Catholic, university preparatory school located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States operated by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. It was established in 1869 by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, establishing the school as St. Aloysius College...

 and later went into business, eventually running his own coffee import company. He was also vice-president of the American Bank and Trust Company and director of the Lafayette Fire Insurance Company and the Mutual Building and Loan Association. He married Mamie McDonald of New Orleans in 1901. Before becoming mayor, O’Keefe was a prominent member of the Regular Democratic Organization

Regular Democratic Organization

The Regular Democratic Organization , or Old Regulars, or the New Orleans Ring, is a conservative political organization based in New Orleans. It has existed for 130 years and as of 2006 is still active. The symbol of the RDO is the rooster...

, the political machine that had dominated New Orleans for decades. He served as the RDO's Tenth Ward boss, the city’s Commissioner for Public Finance from 1925 to 1926, and after long-time mayor Martin Behrman

Martin Behrman

Martin Behrman , an American Democratic politician, was the longest-serving mayor in New Orleans history.-Biography:...

 died in office O’Keefe was elevated to serve the remainder of Behrman’s term.

O’Keefe’s term in office was marked by a controversy over whether two bridges over the Rigolets

Rigolets

The Rigolets is a 12.9 kilometer long strait in Louisiana.It begins at and follows a generally eastward course to Lake Borgne, which is a lagoon in the Gulf of Mexico, where it ends at . Along with nearby Chef Menteur Pass, the Rigolets connects Lake Pontchartrain and Lake St. Catherine to Lake...

 and Chef Menteur Pass

Chef Menteur Pass

The Chef Menteur Pass is a narrow natural waterway which, along with the Rigolets, connects Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne in New Orleans, Louisiana...

 would be toll-free bridges as advocated by Public Service Commissioner Huey P. Long, or toll bridges operated by a firm controlled by the mayor's political allies. O’Keefe also fought a bitter battle with Huey Long over piping cheap natural gas into New Orleans; an ally of the New Orleans energy monopoly NOPSI, O'Keefe unsuccessfully opposed the plan. Under O'Keefe's administration construction was begun on the Municipal Auditorium and plans for the Criminal District Court Building and Orleans Parish Prison were drawn up. He also served as president of the RDO's Choctaw Club.

In July 1929, O’Keefe resigned as mayor for health reasons; he was succeeded by T. Semmes Walmsley

T. Semmes Walmsley

Thomas Semmes Walmsley was Mayor of New Orleans from July 1929 to June 1936. He is best known for his intense rivalry with Louisiana Governor Huey P. Long.- Early life and career :...

.

O'Keefe was Irish Catholic

Irish Catholic

Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...

. He is the great-grandfather of former LSU

Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...

 Chancellor and former NASA

NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

 Administrator Sean O'Keefe

Sean O'Keefe

Sean O'Keefe is the CEO of EADS North America, a subsidiary of the European aerospace firm EADS, a former Administrator of NASA, and former chancellor of Louisiana State University . O'Keefe is also a former member of the board of directors of DuPont...

.

Sources

• Biographical Dictionary of American Mayors, 1820-1980. Greenwood Press, 1981.
• New Orleans Public Library, Louisiana Division. “Administration of Arthur J. O'Keefe.” http://nutrias.org/~nopl/info/louinfo/admins/okeefe.htm
• Glenn R. Conrad, ed. Dictionary of Louisiana Biography. Louisiana Historical Association, 1988.