Thomas J. Walsh
Encyclopedia
Thomas James Walsh was a lawyer
and Democratic Party politician from Helena, Montana
, in the United States
.
, where his father was an active Democrat and a member of the school board. He spent some time teaching in the public schools of that region before becoming a lawyer. Moving to Helena, Montana
in 1890 Walsh worked on injury cases involving railroad accidents and on copper litigation.
from 1913 until 1933. Walsh gained fame for his legal ability in the Judiciary Committee and on the floor. He emerged as a spokesman for President Woodrow Wilson
in the Senate and supported the graduated income tax, farm loans, and woman suffrage. He managed President Wilson's western campaign against Charles Evans Hughes
, which resulted in Wilson's very narrow reelection victory. Walsh, unlike many Irish Catholics, supported Wilson's foreign-policy. He voted for war against Germany in 1917 and in 1919 supported Wilson's peace plans, including the League of Nations
.
In the 1920s, Walsh took the lead in exposing the Teapot Dome Scandal
that involve top officials of the administration of President Warren G. Harding
. He was chairman of the Democratic National Convention
in New York in 1924, and that in Chicago in 1932. Walsh opposed child labor
, and supported women's suffrage
and prohibition
.
Walsh was nominated for the post of Attorney General
by the incoming President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but he died while traveling to Washington for Roosevelt's inauguration.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and Democratic Party politician from Helena, Montana
Helena, Montana
Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Background
An Irish Catholic, Walsh was born in Two Rivers, WisconsinTwo Rivers, Wisconsin
Two Rivers is a city in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 11,712 at the 2010 census. It is the birthplace of the ice cream sundae...
, where his father was an active Democrat and a member of the school board. He spent some time teaching in the public schools of that region before becoming a lawyer. Moving to Helena, Montana
Helena, Montana
Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...
in 1890 Walsh worked on injury cases involving railroad accidents and on copper litigation.
Career
Walsh became a leader in Democratic Party politics in Helena, Montana. He was defeated in the 1906 election for Congress. He served in the United States SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from 1913 until 1933. Walsh gained fame for his legal ability in the Judiciary Committee and on the floor. He emerged as a spokesman for President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
in the Senate and supported the graduated income tax, farm loans, and woman suffrage. He managed President Wilson's western campaign against Charles Evans Hughes
Charles Evans Hughes
Charles Evans Hughes, Sr. was an American statesman, lawyer and Republican politician from New York. He served as the 36th Governor of New York , Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States , United States Secretary of State , a judge on the Court of International Justice , and...
, which resulted in Wilson's very narrow reelection victory. Walsh, unlike many Irish Catholics, supported Wilson's foreign-policy. He voted for war against Germany in 1917 and in 1919 supported Wilson's peace plans, including the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
.
In the 1920s, Walsh took the lead in exposing the Teapot Dome Scandal
Teapot Dome scandal
The Teapot Dome Scandal was a bribery incident that took place in the United States in 1922–23, during the administration of President Warren G. Harding. Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome and two other locations to private oil companies at low...
that involve top officials of the administration of President Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
. He was chairman of the 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...
in New York in 1924, and that in Chicago in 1932. Walsh opposed child labor
Child labor
Child labour refers to the employment of children at regular and sustained labour. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations and is illegal in many countries...
, and supported women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
and prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
.
Walsh was nominated for the post of Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
by the incoming President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but he died while traveling to Washington for Roosevelt's inauguration.
Further reading
- J. Leonard Bates. "Walsh, Thomas James"; American National Biography Online Feb. 2000
- J. Leonard Bates, ed. Tom Walsh in Dakota Territory: Personal Correspondence of Senator Thomas J. Walsh and Elinor C. McClements (1966).