Leo W. O'Brien

Leo W. O'Brien
Leo W. O'Brien
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 32nd district
	In office; April 1, 1952 – January 3, 1953
Preceded by	William T. Byrne
Succeeded by	Bernard W. Kearney
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 30th district
	In office; January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1963
Preceded by	J. Ernest Wharton
Succeeded by	Carleton J. King
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 29th district
	In office; January 3, 1963 – December 30, 1966
Preceded by	J. Ernest Wharton
Succeeded by	Daniel E. Button
Personal details
Born	September 21, 1900; Buffalo, New York
Died	May 4, 1982 (aged 81); Albany, New York
Resting place	St. Agnes Cemetery, Menands, New York
Spouse(s)	Mabel C. Jean (m. 1925)
Children	2
Alma mater	Niagara University
Profession	Newspaper reporter; Radio and television commentator

Leo William O'Brien (September 21, 1900 – May 4, 1982) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.[1]

Biography

Nicknamed "Obie," O'Brien was born in Buffalo, New York. He graduated from Niagara University in 1922. O'Brien worked as a newspaper journalist for the International News Service, and Albany Knickerbocker Press and Times-Union. He later became a radio and television commentator. From 1935 to 1952 he was a member of the Port of Albany District Commission.[1]

In 1952 he was the successful Democratic nominee for the United States House of Representatives seat left vacant by the death of William T. Byrne. He was reelected seven times and served from April 1, 1952 until resigning on December 30, 1966, a few days before the end of his final term. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1966 and returned to the Albany area.

As a member of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, O'Brien was a leading advocate for Alaska and Hawaii statehood. In recognition of his efforts, in 1964 the State of Alaska named Mount Terrance, a mountain near Haines, Alaska after O'Brien's then 10-year-old grandson.[2]

He also helped create the Fire Island National Seashore, and strongly advocated cleanup of the Hudson River and protecting it as a scenic waterway.

After leaving Congress O'Brien served as Chairman of the Albany County Planning Board and the Adirondack Study Commission.

He died at St. Peter's Hospital in Albany, New York on May 4, 1982.[1] He was buried at St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands.[3]

Family

In 1925, O'Brien married to Mabel C. Jean. They were the parents of two children, Robert and Mary.[4]

Legacy

The United States federal building in Albany, New York is named after him. It is located at the corner of Clinton Avenue and North Pearl Street, and contains facilities including a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS).[5]

gollark: "Fun" is probably just some weird heuristic for novelty-seeking, but it manifests more as a terminal goal than some bad mental tool for navigating goals.

gollark: (or properly for situations it wasn't really optimized for)

gollark: It's an effective one, since you don't have to rely on a glitchy evolved heuristic which might not work properly.

gollark: Also decision making.

gollark: Yes, human intuitions about probability and also all other things ever are pretty apioform.

References

Walter H. Waggoner (May 5, 1982). "Leo W. O'Brien, 81, is Dead; Former Albany Congressman". New York Times. Retrieved 2014-07-30.
"Alaska Mountain Named". New York Times. New York, NY. July 15, 1964.
Leo W. O'Brien at Find a Grave
The New York Red Book. 65. Albany, NY: Williams Press. 1956. p. 893.
"Albany Military Entrance Processing Station". MEPS Information. United States Military Entrance Processing Command. Retrieved November 2, 2015.

Leo W. O'Brien

Biography

Family

Legacy

References

Further reading