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Leland James O'Callaghan

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Leland James O'Callaghan
President of the Atlanta Board of Education
In office
1959–1961
Personal details
Born(1915-06-17)June 17, 1915
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
DiedJanuary 22, 1997(1997-01-22) (aged 81)
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Mary Mees
​
(m. 1941)​
Children5
Alma materGeorgia Tech
Military service
Branch/service
Battles/warsWorld War II

Leland James O'Callaghan (June 17, 1915 – January 22, 1997) was an American businessman and politician from Georgia. He was an important civic leader, businessman, and political leader from Atlanta.

Early life

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O'Callaghan was born on June 17, 1915, in Atlanta, Georgia.[1] He attended the Atlanta public schools, and in 1937, graduated from Georgia Tech.[2] He served in the Air Force during World War II where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.[2] He later served as a Colonel in the Georgia Air National Guard.[2] In 1946, he founded the Dealers Supply Co., which he served as president.[2] He was elected to the Atlanta Board of Education as a representative of the 5th Ward in 1957.[3] In 1959, he was president of the Atlanta Board of Education for two years, which was caught in the turmoil of school integration at the time.[4] During the Massive Resistance, in contrast to fellow Southerners, he resisted pressure to close the schools and insisted they remain open.[4] Despite the backlash from his friends and other board members, he successfully achieved integration without incident.[4]

Political career

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O'Callaghan began his political career when he ran for the State Legislature in 1956 against Hoke Smith.[2] In 1962, he ran for Congress in Georgia's 5th congressional district. He expected to run against Democratic incumbent James C. Davis, but Davis lost the primary to Weltner in the primary on September 26.[5] In his campaign, he ran as an "Eisenhower Republican," and a fiscally conservative platform. He pledged to cut taxes, defend the free enterprise system, and "establish faith in the individual as the foundation of our national life."[6] On racial issues, he "vowed to represent all the people of the Fifth district."[6] Despite O'Callaghan being endorsed by the Atlanta Daily World, Weltner defeated him by 10,000 votes.[6] O'Callaghan had received 30% of the Black vote, whereas Weltner received 70%.[7]

In 1964, he ran again in the same district, facing Charles L. Weltner a second time.[8] O'Callaghan ran to the right as a Goldwater Republican.[9][10] He advocated for the repeal of the public accommodations and fair employment practices of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, although he qualified his statement.[9] However, he refused to run an overt segregationist campaign.[11] On October 19, he issued a statement declaring he would be more inclined to support the civil rights bill if the fair employment provisions included every business in the country.[12] He also urged voters to comply with the Civil Rights Act once it became the law. His campaign also focused its attacks on Governor Sanders, Mayor Allen, and President Johnson.[13] In the general election, O'Callaghan lost by a margin of 18,966 votes.[14]

Electoral history

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Georgia's 5th congressional district:[15][16]

Year Republican Votes % Democratic Votes %
1962 L. J. O'Callaghan 48,466 44.4% √ Charles L. Weltner 60,583 55.6%
1964 L. J. O'Callaghan 55,983 46.0% √ Charles L. Weltner 65,803 54.0%

Personal life

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He married his wife, Mary Mees, on June 14, 1941.[17] Together, they had five daughters.[4][2] He died in Jacksonville, Florida, on January 22, 1997, aged 81 due to a stroke.[1][4]

References

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  1. ^ a b "James O'Callaghan, Obituary". The Atlanta Constitution. 1997-01-24. p. 25. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "O'Callaghan Aims At Hoke Smith's Legislative Seat". The Atlanta Constitution. 1956-08-25. p. 13. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  3. ^ "GOPs Making Fireworks Here". The Atlanta Constitution. 1964-09-08. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Jim O'Callaghan, led Atlanta schools". The Atlanta Constitution. 1997-01-26. p. 36. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  5. ^ "Geer Rolls to Victory Over Maddox; Weltner Defeats Davis by 13,000". The Atlanta Constitution. 1962-09-27. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  6. ^ a b c Ellett, Ashton (2017). Recasting Conservatism: Georgia Republicans And The Transformation of Southern Politics Since World War II (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Georgia.
  7. ^ "Weltner Defeats GOP O'Callaghan". The Atlanta Constitution. 1962-11-07. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  8. ^ "Weltner, O'Callaghan Duel Again". The Atlanta Constitution. 1964-10-09. p. 18. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  9. ^ a b "Weltner, O'Callaghan Study Barriers to 2-Party Finals". The Atlanta Constitution. 1964-08-11. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  10. ^ "Weltner Denounces O'Callaghan Switch". The Atlanta Constitution. 1964-10-07. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  11. ^ "Running Ahead of Goldwater In Fulton, O'Callaghan Says". The Atlanta Constitution. 1964-10-15. p. 19. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  12. ^ "O'Callaghan, Weltner Tangle on Rights Law". The Atlanta Constitution. 1964-10-20. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  13. ^ "O'Callaghan, Savage Join To Attack Weltner, Sanders". The Atlanta Constitution. 1964-09-02. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  14. ^ "The Count For Weltner, O'Callaghan". The Atlanta Constitution. 1964-11-04. p. 11. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  15. ^ Fortson, Ben (1962). "Official state of Georgia tabulation by counties for U.S. Senator, U.S. Representatives, Governor, Lt. Governor, constitutional officers, state officers and constitutional amendments, General Election November 6, 1962" (PDF). Digital Library of Georgia. p. 12. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  16. ^ Fortson, Bem (1964). "Official state of Georgia tabulation by counties for Presidential Electors, U.S. Representatives, state officers and constitutional amendments, General Election November 3, 1964" (PDF). Digital Library of Georgia. p. 22. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  17. ^ "Miss Mary Mees Is Married To Lt. O'Callaghan at Church". The Atlanta Constitution. 1941-06-15. p. 26. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
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