James A. Gallagher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's1st district | |
| In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 | |
| Preceded by | William A. Barrett |
| Succeeded by | William A. Barrett |
| In office January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945 | |
| Preceded by | Leon Sacks |
| Succeeded by | William A. Barrett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1869-01-16)January 16, 1869 |
| Died | December 8, 1957(1957-12-08) (aged 88) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US |
| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery,Yeadon, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Republican |
James A. Gallagher (January 16, 1869 – December 8, 1957) was an American banker, businessman, andRepublican member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromPennsylvania.[1][2]
James A. Gallagher was born inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania on January 16, 1869. He attended the public schools and Philadelphia'sPierce College from 1891 to 1893. Professionally, he began work in merchandise warehousing and transportation in 1886, and later worked in the banking industry.[3][4]
Gallagher was elected to Congress as a Republican inNovember of 1942, defeating three-termDemocratic incumbentLeon Sacks.In 1944, he lost his re-election bid to DemocratWilliam A. Barrett, who rode to victory on the coattails of the very popularFranklin D. Roosevelt. Two years later, Gallagher returned toWashington duringthe Republican sweep of Congress in 1946, but would lose renomination in1948 to Republican John De Nero, who went on to lose to Barrett in November, 53-47%.[5][6] Barrett went on to represent Philadelphia in Congress for 26 more years until his death in 1976.[7]
As a Congressman, Gallagher had a generally conservative voting record, voting with the Republican Party in 89 and 86 percent of his votes in the78th and80th Congresses, respectively.[8] Some of Gallagher's most important votes included voting present on the 1944G.I. Bill, voting for theTaft-Hartley Act, and voting toamend the United States Constitution to establish term limits. All three bills passed.[9][10][11] Gallagher also supported strengthening theU.S. military during the opening stages of theCold War and reducinginflation.[12][13] Additionally, he also had a pro-civil rights voting record, voting for an anti-poll tax bill in 1947.[14] During his tenures, Gallagher served on three committees - theCensus,Pensions, andPrinting committees during his first term, and theHouse Administration Committee during his second.[15][16] Gallagher cast 182 total votes during his congressional career, 89 in his first term and 93 in his second. He missed 16 percent of roll call votes, significantly worse than the average of 3.5 percent.[17]
After losing his congressional primary in 1948, Gallagher returned to private life in Philadelphia. He died on December 8, 1957, at age 88. He was interred at theHoly Cross Cemetery inYeadon, Pennsylvania.[18][19]
| Year | Subject | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | James A. Gallagher | Republican | 44,519 | 53.45 | Leon Sacks (inc.) | Democratic | 38,768 | 46.55 | ||
| 1944 | James A. Gallagher (inc.) | Republican | 52,159 | 41.58 | William A. Barrett | Democratic | 73,289 | 58.42 | ||
| 1946 | James A. Gallagher | Republican | 70,680 | 57.34 | William A. Barrett (inc.) | Democratic | 52,593 | 42.66 |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 1st congressional district 1943 - 1945 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 1st congressional district 1947 - 1949 | Succeeded by |
