Thomas J. Spellacy

Thomas Joseph Spellacy (March 6, 1880-December 5, 1957) was an American political leader and lawyer. He is best remembered for his years as the mayor of Hartford, Connecticut, but held several other offices and was one of Connecticut's most prominent Democrats over a period of more than 50 years.

Early life and career

Spellacy was born in Hartford, the son of James Spellacy, a contractor, and Catherine (Bourke) Spellacy. He attended Hartford Public High School, Miss Burbank’s Private School and the College of the Holy Cross. He received a degree from Georgetown University Law School in 1901. He was admitted to the bar in Tennessee in 1901 and in Connecticut in 1903. Also in 1903 he married Nellie Walsh of Middletown, Connecticut. ["Spellacy Said to be Appointed Asst. Secretary of Navy,” The Hartford Courant (1887-1922); Jul 23, 1920; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1764 - 1922) pg. 13. ]

Early in his career, Spellacy blended his interests in journalism, law and politics. He started a student publication that circulated in the Hartford public schools and worked as a reporter for the Hartford Telegram prior to attending law school. He was a part owner of the Hartford Sunday Globe and briefly the owner of the Hartford Evening Post, both of which were sold to other Hartford newspapers. [ “With Democratic Outlook Hopeless, ‘Post’ Surrenders,” The Hartford Courant (1887-1922); Oct 7, 1920; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1764 - 1922), pg. 7. ]

He was elected to the Connecticut State Senate in 1906, failed to win renomination in 1908 and recaptured the nomination and his seat in 1910. [ “Spellacy Lands Job as Palmer's Aid,” The Hartford Courant (1887-1922); Nov 13, 1919; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1764 - 1922) pg. 22] He was the Democratic nominee for Mayor of Hartford, while serving as the city’s party chairman, in 1912, losing to Col. Louis R. Cheney in a spring election. [ “Spellacy's Career Has Been Active,” The Hartford Courant (1887-1922); Sep 22, 1922; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1764 - 1922) pg. 10. ] Later that year Spellacy was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention for the first of five times. He ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Hartford in 1914, losing the Democratic nomination to Joseph H. Lawler, the eventual winner. President Woodrow Wilson appointed him United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut to fill the unexpired term of Frederick Scott in 1915. [ “Spellacy To Be District Attorney,” The Hartford Courant (1887-1922); Jul 4, 1915; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1764 - 1922), pg. 5. ]

Spellacy, while still serving as U.S. Attorney, was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Connecticut in 1918 and lost to the incumbent, Marcus H. Holcomb. [ “Holcomb's Plurality Over Spellacy 8,075,” The Hartford Courant (1887-1922); Nov 6, 1918; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1764 - 1922), pg. 1. ] Shortly after the election, the World War I armistice went into effect and Spellacy resigned his position as United States Attorney to become the legal advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, in the settlement of claims involving the Navy and various allied powers in Europe during the winter of 1918-1919. [ “Spellacy to Sail for Brest Tuesday on Legal Mission,” The Hartford Courant (1887-1922); Dec 29, 1918; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1764 - 1922), pg. 13. ] Both Spellacy and Roosevelt returned on the USS George Washington with President Wilson, who was returning from the Paris Peace Conference. [ “Conn. People in Wilson's Party,” The Hartford Courant (1887-1922); Feb 25, 1919; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1764 - 1922), pg. 1. ]

National politics

After his return from Europe in 1919, Spellacy was appointed Assistant Attorney General of the United States and was in charge of the enemy custodianship department. ["Spellacy Said to be Appointed Asst. Secretary of Navy,” The Hartford Courant (1887-1922); Jul 23, 1920; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1764 - 1922) pg. 13.] He argued three cases for the government before the Supreme Court while acting in this capacity. ["Central Union Trust Co. v. Garvan", 254 U.S. 554 (1921); "United States v. Chase Nat'l Bank", 252 U.S. 485 (1920); "Grand T. W. R. Co. v. United States", 252 U.S. 112 (1920).] He received an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) from Georgetown University in 1920. [ “Georgetown Gives Degree to Spellacy,” The Hartford Courant (1887-1922); Dec 7, 1920; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1764 - 1922), pg. 18; see also "Academic Exercises", 9 Geo.L.J., No. 2, 54-106.]

During this period Spellacy became more active in national Democratic party politics, again being a delegate to the 1920 national convention, where he was Chairman of the Rules Committee and manager of the presidential campaign of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. He is mentioned in several biographies of Franklin D. Roosevelt as having assisted Roosevelt, by then the Democratic candidate for Vice President, in discrediting his antagonist in a scandal over the Navy’s handling of the cases of sailors convicted on morals charges, Providence Journal publisher John R. Rathom, by, along with Francis G. Caffey, the U.S. Attorney in New York, releasing information about Rathom from Justice Department files. [E.g., Geoffrey C. Ward, "A First-Class Temperament: The Emergence of Franklin Roosevelt" (Harper & Row 1989), p. 553. ]

After leaving government service in February, 1921, he became the law partner of two other officials involved in the custody and liquidation of enemy property seized during the war, forming the New York City firm of Garvan, Corbett and Spellacy, with its office on Wall Street. [Spellacy to Have Law Office in Big City and Hartford,” The Hartford Courant (1887-1922); Feb 13, 1921; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1764 - 1922), pg. 17; “Realty Notes,” New York Times (1857-Current file); Aug 17, 1921; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2003), pg. 27. ]

Connecticut’s Democrats nominated Spellacy for the United States Senate in 1922, but he was defeated by former governor George McLean. [ “Republican Ticket Leads by 24,000 in Conn.” The Hartford Courant (1887-1922); Nov 8, 1922; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1764 - 1922), pg. 1. ] He was again a delegate to the 1924 Democratic national convention, supporting Gov. Alfred E. Smith of New York,, [ “ Spellacy Comes Out for Smith,” The Hartford Courant (1923-present); Apr 29, 1924; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1923 - 1984), pg. 4. ] while himself receiving a vote on each of the 41st and 42nd ballots, [How the Candidates Fared in the Ballots. (1924, July 9). New York Times (1857-Current file),p. 5. Retrieved March 15, 2008, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2004) database] and was eastern regional campaign manager for the eventual compromise nominee (chosen after Smith and the other leading contender, William Gibbs McAdoo, deadlocked), John W. Davis. [ “ Spellacy Comes Out for Smith,” The Hartford Courant (1923-present); Apr 29, 1924; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1923 - 1984), pg. 4. ]

Spellacy was a member of the Democratic National Committee from 1926 to 1928. He continued to be a supporter of Alfred Smith in both the year the “Happy Warrior” was the party’s nominee, 1928, [ “Campaign For Smith Opens Here Tuesday,” The Hartford Courant (1923-present); Feb 5, 1928; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1923 - 1984), pg. 1. ] and in 1932, [ “Smith Calls Spellacy To Conference Today,” The Hartford Courant (1923-present); Jun 6, 1932; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1923 - 1984), pg. 16. ] when Smith lost the Democratic presidential nomination to Franklin D. Roosevelt. Spellacy did not attend the Democratic convention in 1932 due to his wife’s ill health; [ “Connecticut Delegates Leave,” New York Times (1857-Current file); Jun 26, 1932; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2003), pg. 23. ] she died later that summer. [ “Mrs. Spellacy Dies After Long Illness,” The Hartford Courant (1923-present); Jul 24, 1932; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1923 - 1984) pg. 1. ] He remarried in 1934; his second wife, Elisabeth B. Gill, was thirty years his junior. [ “T. J. Spellacy Married To Elisabeth Gill,” The Hartford Courant (1923-present); Aug 24, 1934; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1923 - 1984), pg. 11] She was the sister of the journalist and author Brendan Gill. [Constance Neyer, Courant Staff Writer. (1997, April 23). “Elisabeth Gill Spellacy, 86; Was Prominent Civic Leader : [Statewide Edition] . Hartford Courant, pg. B.9. Retrieved August 21, 2007, from Hartford Courant database. (Document ID: 16011481). ] They had one child, a son, Bourke Gill Spellacy (1937-), a founder of the Hartford law firm Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C.

Mayor of Hartford and subsequent career

Upon the death of John A. Pilgard -- who died only nine days after being elected and before he could take office [ “Mayoralty Life-Long Ambition,” The Hartford Courant 1923; Nov 15, 1935; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1923 - 1984), pg. 1. ] -- Spellacy was elected mayor of Hartford in 1935 by the Board of Aldermen. [Robert D Byrnes, “A Favorite Political Villain Becomes 44th Mayor of Hartford,”.The Hartford Courant; Dec 1, 1935; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1923 - 1984), pg. D1. ] He was re-elected three times. His tenure in office was marked not only by the effects of the Great Depression and the coming of World War II and the defense boom in Hartford before and during the war, but also by the devastating floods and those resulting from the New England Hurricane of 1938. On June 18, 1943, he made good on a threat to resign if he could not get the Board of Aldermen to adopt his proposal to require residency in the city by municipal employees. He failed in his attempt to return to the office of mayor in 1945.

Spellacy was not thereafter nominated by his party for any elective office. However, he was a member of the Metropolitan District Commission and Park River Flood Commission and was appointed Insurance Commissioner of the State of Connecticut by Gov. Abraham Ribicoff in 1955. He served in that position until his death in New York City while attending a conference of state insurance commissioners on December 5, 1957. [ “Thomas Spellacy, Connecticut Aide,” New York Times (1857-Current file); Dec 6, 1957; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2003) pg. 29; “Thomas J. Spellacy Dies at 77; Four-Term Mayor Of Hartford,” The Hartford Courant (1923-1984); Dec 6, 1957; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Hartford Courant (1923 - 1984), pg. 1. ]

References in popular culture

Illustrator James Montgomery Flagg, best known for his “Uncle Sam” “I Want You!” recruiting posters, drew a portrait of Spellacy that was used in his 1918 gubernatorial campaign. []

"The Conquest of America: A Romance of Disaster and Victory", a novel depicting a German invasion of the Unites States by Cleveland Moffett published in 1916, is set in the future of 1921. It mentions Spellacy as an prominent American taken hostage by the German invaders. [ [http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupid?key=olbp34237 The Online Books Page: The Conquest of America: A Romance of Disaster and Victory: U.S.A., 1921 A.D., by Cleveland Moffett ] ]

John Gregory Dunne, a Hartford native, named one of the protagonists in his 1977 novel "True Confessions" [ISBN-13: 978-1560258155 ] Tom Spellacy. The character, a Los Angeles detective, was played by Robert Duvall in the 1981 film version. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083232/]

Notes