John Patrick O’Brien (February 1, 1873 – September 22, 1951) was an Irish-American attorney and Democratic politician who served as the 99th Mayor of New York City from January 1 to December 31, 1933. Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, to Irish immigrant parents, he earned degrees from the College of the Holy Cross and Georgetown University before moving into municipal law and judicial service in New York. Backed by the Tammany Hall political machine, he won a special election following the resignation of Jimmy Walker and served a single year in office, during which he worked to stabilize the city's finances amidst the Great Depression. He was defeated for re-election and returned to private practice.
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Life and career
O'Brien was born on February 1, 1873, to Mary and Patrick O'Brien, Irish immigrants in Massachusetts. He received his B.A. from College of the Holy Cross and his masters and law degree from Georgetown University. He later served as New York City Corporation Counsel and as a New York Surrogate Court judge.
Shortly after the surprise resignation of Mayor Jimmy Walker in 1932, Tammany Hall nominated O'Brien for mayor in a special election, and he beat write-in candidate (and Acting Mayor) Joseph V. McKee by more than half a million votes. O'Brien's inauguration was held in the Hall of Records, at 31 Chambers Street in Manhattan, and was devoid of the pageantry that had greeted many of his predecessors. His inauguration speech did not outline a vision for the city, but rather, reflected on the work of the court and the legal profession in general. In the post inauguration news conference, the new mayor was asked who would be the new police commissioner. "I don't know," O'Brien answered. "They haven't told me yet."