Patrick Henry Moynihan

Patrick Henry Moynihan (September 25, 1869 – May 20, 1946) was an American businessman and politician from Chicago, Illinois. A Republican, he was most notable for his service representing the 2nd district of Illinois in the United States House of Representatives from 1933 to 1935, during a significant period in American history marked by the Great Depression and the early New Deal era.

Moynihan was born in Chicago on September 25, 1869, the son of John Moynihan and Selah (O’Donnell) Moynihan. He was educated in the public schools of Chicago and attended St. Patrick’s High School in the city. Entering the workforce at an early age, he became active in the publishing and printing trade as a typesetter, gaining practical experience in a rapidly expanding industry in late nineteenth-century Chicago.

Through steady advancement in business, Moynihan rose to become president of the Calumet Publishing Company. He broadened his commercial interests beyond publishing, serving as vice president of the Calumet Coal Company, one of the largest coal concerns in the Chicago area. His entrepreneurial activities also included the presidency of the Hiawatha Phonograph Company, reflecting his engagement with emerging technologies in recorded sound. In addition, he was president of the South Chicago Businessmen’s Club, a position that underscored his prominence in the local business community and his role in civic and commercial affairs.

Moynihan’s political career developed alongside his business pursuits. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the Chicago Board of Aldermen, serving from 1901 to 1909. In this capacity he participated in municipal governance during a period of significant urban growth and reform, representing the interests of his constituents in city affairs. After more than a decade in local politics and business, he continued his public service at the state level when he was appointed to the Illinois Commerce Commission, on which he served from 1921 to 1929. He became chairman of the commission in 1928 and held that leadership post through 1929, overseeing regulatory matters related to public utilities and transportation at a time of expanding industrial and commercial activity in Illinois.

In 1932 Moynihan was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives from Illinois’s 2nd congressional district. He served one term in the 73rd Congress, from March 4, 1933, to January 3, 1935. His tenure in Congress coincided with the early years of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration and the enactment of major New Deal legislation. As a member of the Republican Party representing Illinois, Moynihan contributed to the legislative process during this single term in office, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his Chicago-area constituents during a time of economic crisis and sweeping federal policy change.

Moynihan was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1934 and later sought a return to Congress as a Republican candidate in 1936 and 1940, but was not elected. After his congressional service, he returned to Chicago and resumed his business interests, remaining identified with the city’s commercial and civic life.

Patrick Henry Moynihan died in Chicago on May 20, 1946. He was interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois, closing a life that combined substantial business leadership with decades of service in municipal, state, and national government.