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Subject: [IOWA] 1903 Bio of Henry O'Connor
Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2003 07:16:57 EDT

HENRY O'CONNOR was born in the City of Dublin, Ireland, July 26, 1820. When
old enough to leave home he was sent to Tullow where he received private
instruction from the monks who kept a free school. He finally emigrated to
America, going to Cincinnati, where he began the study of law when about twenty-six
years of age and took six moths' instruction in a law school, working at his
trade to support himself. In 1849 he was admitted to the bar and came to Iowa,
locating at Muscatine, where he opened a law office. He united with the free
soil movement in 1854, supporting James W. Grimes for Governor. In 1856 he
was a delegate to the State Convention which organized the Republican party in
Iowa and made a speech on the evening of the ratification meeting which for
impassioned eloquence has seldom been equalled. It place him in the front rank
of Republican orators. In 1857 Mr. O'Connor was chosen District Attorney in
the Seventh District. When the War of the Rebellion began in 1861, Mr. O'Connor
enlisted as a private in the First Iowa Regiment and fought bravely until his
term of service expired. In 1862 he was commissioned major of the
Thirty-fifth Regiment. In 1867 he was elected Attorney-General of Iowa, serving by
reelections until 1872. While holding this position, a young woman was elected to
the office of superintendent of schools in Mitchell County. Her eligibility
to the office was questioned and submitted to the Attorney-General. He
decided that a woman was eligible to hold office-the first decision in the United
Stares upon that subject. In 1872 Mr. O'Connor was appointed by President Grant
Solicitor of the Department of State and served in that important position
under four secretaries-Hamilton, Fish, Wm. M. Evarts, F. T. Frelinghuysen and
James G. Blaine, a period of nearly fourteen years. In 1872 he was warmly
supported for Governor before the Republican State Convention but the nomination
went to C. C. Carpenter. Major O'Connor died at the Soldiers' Home, November 6,
1900.



Debbie Clough Gerischer
Iowa Gen Web, Assistant CC, Scott County
http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/
IAGENWEB: Special History Project:
http://iagenweb.org/history/index.htm
Gerischer Family Web Site:
http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/

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