Charles O'Conor | |
|---|---|
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| United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York | |
| In office 1853–1854 | |
| Nominated by | Franklin Pierce |
| Preceded by | Jonathan Prescott Hall |
| Succeeded by | John McKeon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 22, 1804 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 12, 1884 (aged 80) Nantucket, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Cornelia Livingston (m. 1854, died 1874) |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Signature | &sq=&lang=&file=File:Appletons%27_O%27Conor,_Thomas_-_Charles_signature.png){kind=small} |
Charles O'Conor (January 22, 1804 – May 12, 1884) was an American lawyer who was notable for his career as a trial advocate and candidacy in the 1872 presidential election. He was the first Catholic presidential nominee.
Born in New York City, after his father fled Ireland following participation in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, O'Conor was educated in the city and began to study law at age 16. Admitted to the bar at age 20, O'Conor developed a reputation as an effective trial attorney, especially in civil cases. A conservative Democrat in politics, he was a longtime friend of Samuel Tilden. He served as a delegate to the 1852 Democratic National Convention, and was United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1853 to 1854. During the American Civil War, O'Conor supported the Union. After the war, he served as counsel for Jefferson Davis after Davis was indicted for treason, and helped post Davis' bail.
In 1871, O'Conor was among the prominent New Yorkers who played a role in the overthrow of corrupt political boss William M. Tweed. In 1872, he was among the conservative Democrats who refused to support Horace Greeley, the nominee of the Liberal Republicans and the Democrats. He was nominated for president by the Straight-Out Democratic Party, with John Quincy Adams II as his running mate. O'Conor did not accept the nomination but remained on the ballot and received a scattering of votes, while the election was won easily by incumbent Republican Ulysses S. Grant. O'Conor was one of Democratic nominee Samuel Tilden's lawyers in 1876, when Tilden unsuccessfully contested the results of that year's presidential election.
O'Conor retired in 1881, and settled in Nantucket, Massachusetts. He died there on May 12, 1884, and was buried at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in New York City.