Phil M. Donnelly

Philip Matthew "Phil" Donnelly (March 6, 1891 – September 12, 1961) was the 41st and 43rd Governor of Missouri. He was a Democrat. Donnelly and Christopher S. "Kit" Bond are the only Missouri governors to serve two non-consecutive terms.

For the Irish guitarist Philip Donnelly, see Philip Donnelly (musician).

Phil Donnelly
41st and 43rd Governor of Missouri
In office
January 8, 1945 – January 10, 1949
LieutenantWalter Naylor Davis
Preceded byForrest C. Donnell
Succeeded byForrest Smith
In office
January 12, 1953 – January 14, 1957
LieutenantJames T. Blair, Jr.
Preceded byForrest Smith
Succeeded byJames T. Blair, Jr.
Personal details
Born(1891-03-06)March 6, 1891
Lebanon, Missouri, U.S.
DiedSeptember 12, 1961(1961-09-12) (aged 70)
Lebanon, Missouri, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Juanita McFadden
Alma materSt. Louis University
ProfessionAttorney
Politician

Personal history
Donnelly in 1945

Donnelly was born in Lebanon, Missouri in 1891, the son of Phil and Margaret (Halloran) Donnelly.[1] Following his graduation from Lebanon High School in 1909 Donnelly attended St. Louis University, earning a law degree in 1913.[2] Donnelly returned to his native Lebanon and entered private practice with J.W. Farris. In 1915 he wed Miss Juanita McFadden. They would have one child, a son David, who himself became an attorney and joined his father's law practice.[3]

Political history

Soon after his passing of the Missouri Bar and return to Lebanon Donnelly expressed an interest in politics. His first office was that of Lebanon city attorney, followed by election to one term as Laclede County prosecutor.[2] Phil Donnelly entered state politics in 1922 by being elected State Representative for the Laclede County area. After one term in the House he was elected to Missouri State Senate in 1924 and would remain there for the next twenty years.[3] Senator Donnelly became Governor Donnelly for the first time after winning the 1944 gubernatorial race.

Highlights of his first term as governor included overseeing the implementation of a new Missouri state constitution in 1946, creation of the Missouri Department of Revenue, and welcoming international statesman Winston Churchill to Fulton, Missouri for the famous Iron Curtain speech at Westminster College. Missouri law prohibited someone from serving two consecutive terms as governor, so Donnelly was ineligible to run again in 1948. However he ran for governor again in 1952 and won easily. Following his second term, a first in Missouri history, he semi-retired to a law practice in Lebanon with his son. Phil M. Donnelly died September 12, 1961 and is buried in the Lebanon, Missouri city cemetery.[2]

Honors

References
  1. The Messages and Proclamations of Governor Phil M. Donnelly by Floyd C. Shoemaker via the Missouri State Historical Society, 1951.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Phil M. Donnelly". www.nndb.com. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  4. Floyd C. Shoemaker (June 11, 2018). "The Messages And Proclamations Of The Governors Of The State Of Missouri Volume XVI". The State Historical Society Of Missouri. Retrieved June 11, 2018 – via Internet Archive.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Party political offices
Preceded by
Larry McDaniel		 Democratic nominee for Governor of Missouri
1944		 Succeeded by
Forrest Smith
Preceded by
Forrest Smith		 Democratic nominee for Governor of Missouri
1952		 Succeeded by
James T. Blair Jr.
Political offices
Preceded by
Forrest C. Donnell		 Governor of Missouri
1945–1949		 Succeeded by
Forrest Smith
Preceded by
Forrest Smith		 Governor of Missouri
1953–1957		 Succeeded by
James T. Blair, Jr.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.