John Austin Keliher was a U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

.

He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 and served from March 4, 1903 to March 3, 1911. Congressman Keliher was the uncle of Brigadier-General John J. Keliher.

Defeats in the 1910 Congressional Election

In 1910 Keliher lost his bid for reelection, first losing in the Democratic primary, and in the general election as an independent candidate, losing both times to William F. Murray

William Francis Murray

William Francis Murray was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts and the Postmaster of Boston.Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Murray attended the public schools and the Boston Latin School....

.

Sheriff of Suffolk County

On April 11, 1917 The incumbent Sheriff of Suffolk County, "Honest John" Quinn, died from diabetes. On April 18, 1917 Governor McCall

Samuel W. McCall

Samuel Walker McCall was a member of the United States House of Representatives, and the 47th Governor of Massachusetts...

submitted Keliher's name to the Executive Council to fill the vacancy. Keliher's appointment was approved by the Executive Council and he was sworn into office on May 3, 1917. On November 6, 1917 Keliher was elected in his own right and re-elected in every election until 1938.

1917 Massachusetts Constitutional Convention

In 1916 the Massachusetts legislature and electorate approved a calling of a Constitutional Convention. In May 1917 Keliher was elected to serve as a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1917, representing Massachusetts' 11th Congressional District.

Electoral defeat and death

In September 1938 Keliher ran in the primary for renomination as the Sheriff of Suffolk County, after the returns showed that he was losing the election he had a heart attack and died in Boston, Massachusetts.