Kenneth O'Brien
Kenneth O'Brien (March 15, 1895-January 20, 1954) was an American lawyer and New York Supreme Court judge.
Biography
[edit]O'Brien was born in 1895, the son of New York Supreme Court Justice Morgan J. O' Brien and Rose Mary Crimmins.[1] He attended Yale University and later Fordham University Law School.[2] In 1932, he served as the chairman of Herbert Lehman's gubernatorial campaign.[3] He also served as the treasurer of the Democratic National Committee.[2] He became a Justice of the New York Supreme Court in 1934, appointed by Governor Lehman to replace Justice Curtis A. Peters.[4]
During his 1934 gubernatorial campaign, Robert Moses accused Lehman of appointing O'Brien to the Court as a reward for political favors O'Brien's law firm had performed, arguing that O'Brien's appointment was not the result of "knowledge and experience but influence".[5]
Personal life
[edit]He married Katherine Mackay, daughter of Clarence H. Mackay, in 1922.[6] Before the ceremony, the couple received the papal benediction from Pope Piux XI.[7] Katherine was granted a divorce in 1937, on the grounds of mental cruelty.[8] O'Brien served as the model for a minor character in John O'Hara's novel BUtterfield 8.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. 14. J.T. White. 1910. p. 449.
- ^ a b "Justice Kenneth O'Brien, 58, on Supreme Court 20 Years". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 21, 1954. p. 13.
- ^ "KENNETH O'BRIEN FOR SUPREME BENCH; Lehman, Disregarding Tammany Wishes, Names Manager of His 1932 Campaign". The New York Times. February 2, 1934. p. 7.
- ^ Lehman, Herbert Henry (1934). Public Papers of Herbert H. Lehman: 49th Governor of the State of New York. J.B. Lyon. p. 433.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Moses Assails Lehman, O'Brien, Conboy, Flynn". Times Union. November 3, 1934. p. 2.
- ^ "Miss Mackay Becomes Bride of Mr. O'Brien". New-York Tribune. September 22, 1922. p. 11.
- ^ "Miss Mackay's Wedding to Kenneth O'Brien". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 22, 1922. p. 7.
- ^ "DECREE TO MRS. O'BRIEN; Former Miss Mackay Divorces Justice in Nevada". The New York Times. November 14, 1937. p. 2.
- ^ Birmingham, Stephen (1997). Real Lace. Syracuse University Press. p. 279. ISBN 9780815605096.