Thomas E. Delahanty was a justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court

Maine Supreme Judicial Court

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in Maine's judicial system. Known as the Law Court when sitting as an appellate court, it is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate...

. He was appointed to the position on September 5, 1973 and later served as active retired from August 31, 1979 until his death.

Delahanty was the son of an Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 immigrant and working-class parents. He attended Lewiston High School

Lewiston High School

Lewiston High School is a public high school in Lewiston, Maine. The school opened in 1850 and has occupied its current building since the mid-1970s. The school's enrollment for the 2007–08 school year was 1,446 students. The school's mascot is the Blue Devil and the colors are blue and white...

 where he excelled at baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 and football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

. He worked in local textile mills to earn money for law school. After an ulcer

Peptic ulcer

A peptic ulcer, also known as PUD or peptic ulcer disease, is the most common ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful. It is defined as mucosal erosions equal to or greater than 0.5 cm...

 kept him out of the military during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, he became a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...

.

Delahanty was a delegate to Democratic National Convention

Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...

 from Maine in 1948. In 1954, he was a candidate for United States House of Representatives

United States House elections, 1954

The U.S. House election, 1954 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1954 which occurred in the middle of President Dwight Eisenhower's first term...

 from Maine's 2nd congressional district

Maine's 2nd congressional district

Maine's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Maine. Covering , it comprises nearly 80% of the state. It is the largest district east of the Mississippi River and the 24th-largest overall. The district consists of all of the state north of the Portland and...

.

Thomas E. Delahanty was married to Jeanne Clifford who was the daughter of Judge John David Clifford, Jr.

John David Clifford, Jr.

John David Clifford Jr. was the eighth United States District Judge for the District of Maine, serving from 1933 to 1947....

, cousin to Judge Robert W. Clifford

Robert W. Clifford

Robert W. Clifford is an American lawyer and a justice on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.He was appointed to the Maine Superior Court in 1979 by Joseph E. Brennan and appointed to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court on 1986-08-01.-References:...

, and granddaughter of John M. C. Smith

John M. C. Smith

John M. C. Smith was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He served as U.S. Representative from Michigan's 3rd congressional district.- Biography :...

, a U.S. Representative from Michigan's 3rd congressional district

Michigan's 3rd congressional district

Michigan's 3rd congressional district is a United States Congressional district in Western Michigan. It consists of the counties of Barry, Ionia, and all except the northwest portion of Kent. The district is currently represented by Republican Justin Amash, the second youngest member of the house...

. Their eldest son, Thomas E. Delahanty II

Thomas E. Delahanty II

-Early life and education:Delahanty is a graduate of Saint Michael's College in Vermont in 1967 and the University of Maine School of Law in 1970.-Career:...

, was appointed as a justice of the Maine Superior Court

Maine Superior Court

The Maine Superior Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction in the Maine state court system.All state jury trials are held in the Superior Court. The court is located in each of Maine's 16 counties . The Court consists of 17 justices who all have statewide jurisdiction and travel to the...

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