O'Brian, John Lord, 1874-

American lawyer; head of the War Emergency Division, United States Department of Justice, 1917-1919.

From the description of John Lord O'Brian papers, 1916-1962. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 754869810

O'Brian was born in Buffalo, New York in 1874. He received the A.B. degree from Harvard College in 1896 and the L.L.B. degree from Buffalo Law School in 1898. In February 1909, O'Brian was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York. He continued to serve in this position through the administrations of President Taft and President Wilson. During World War I, O'Brian served as Head of the War Emergency Division in the U.S. Dept. of Justice where he was responsible for prosecuting cases of espionage and sabotage. At the end of World War I, O'Brian returned to Buffalo to practice law. In 1929, President Hoover appointed O'Brian to serve as Assistant Attorney General of the Anti-Trust Division at the U.S. Department of Justice where he was responsible for arguing more than 15 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He was retained by the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1935, eventually winning the case that challenged the creation of the Authority. In 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt appointed O'Brian to serve as General Counsel of the War Production Board. From 1945 until his death, at age 98, O'Brian practiced law in Washington, D.C.

From the description of John Lord O'Brian Papers 1892-1973. (SUNY at Buffalo). WorldCat record id: 465226205

Lawyer.

From the description of Reminiscences of John Lord O'Brian : oral history , 1952. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 309741069

From the description of Reminiscences of John Lord O'Brian : oral history, 1967. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 122620398

Biography

American lawyer; head of the War Emergency Division, United States Department of Justice, 1917-1919

Biographical Note

• 1874, October 14: born, Buffalo, New York
• 1896: A.B., Harvard
• 1898: graduated, University of Buffalo Law School
• 1902: married, Alma E. White
• 1903 - 29 : Trustee, University of Buffalo
• 1907 - 09 : Member, New York State Assembly
• 1909 - 14 : U.S. Attorney for Western District of New York
• 1913: Candidate for Mayor of Buffalo, New York
• 1915: Delegate-at-large at New York State Constitutional Convention
• 1916: Delegate (for Hughes), National Republican Convention in Chicago
• 1917: Chairman, Draft Board Appeals, Western New York
• 1917 - 19 : Head of War Emergency Division, Department of Justice
• 1920: opposed expulsion of Socialists elected to New York State Legislature
• 1920: Permanent Chairman, Republican State Convention, New York City
• 1921 - 30 : Buffalo Trustee, Albright Knox Art Gallery
• 1925 - 26 : Vice Chairman, New York State Reorganization Committee
• 1929 - 33 : Assistant to Attorney General, Antitrust Division, Department of Justice
• 1931 - 47 : Regent, University of State of New York
• 1935 - 39 : Special Counsel, Tennessee Valley Authority, Argued Ashwander vs. T.V.A.
• 1938: Republican Candidate for U.S. Senate from New York
• 1939 - 45 : Overseer, Harvard University
• 1940: nominated Thomas Dewey for President at Republican National Convention in Philadelphia
• 1941 - 44 : General Counsel, War Production Board
• 1944: joined Covington, Burling, Rublee, Acheson & Shorb, Washington, D. C.
• 1945: President, Harvard Alumni Association
• 1947: Chairman, Flying Pay Board
• 1948: Chairman, Oak Ridge Labor Dispute
• 1950 - 57 : Chairman for Endowment of Harvard Divinity School
• 1951: elected Washington Literary Society
• 1951: appointed to National Advisory Board on Mobilization Policy
• 1955: John Lord O'Brian Chair Established at Harvard Divinity School
• 1957: participated in Youth Forum Broadcast sponsored by the New York Times.
• 1962: honored by Chief Justice Earl Warren on 50th Anniversary of Admission to the Bar of the Court
• 1963: member of Lawyer's Committee on Civil Rights (appointed by President Kennedy)
• 1968, April 13: death of Mrs. John Lord O'Brian in Buffalo
• 1972: new law building at SUNY at Buffalo, named after O'Brian by State University Board of Trustees
• 1973, April 10: died at Washington, D. C.

From the guide to the John Lord O'Brian Papers, 1916-1962, (Hoover Institution Archives)