Background
An Irish Catholic, Walsh was born in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, where his father was an active Democrat and a member of the school board.
lawyer politician senator teacher
An Irish Catholic, Walsh was born in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, where his father was an active Democrat and a member of the school board.
University of Wisconsin–Madison. University of Wisconsin Law School.
He had a national reputation as a liberal and was President-elect Franklin Doctorate. Roosevelt"s choice as Attorney General when he died. He spent some time teaching in the public schools in Wisconsin. Walsh then went to University of Wisconsin–Madison and University of Wisconsin Law School and was admitted to the Wisconsin Bar.
Walsh moved to Redfield, Dakota Territory to practice law.
Moving to Helena, Montana in 1890 Walsh worked on injury cases involving railroad accidents and on copper litigation. Walsh became a leader in Democratic Party politics in Helena, Montana.
He was defeated in the 1906 election for Congress. He was first elected to the United States Senate in 1912, and served until his death in 1933.
He emerged as a spokesman for President Woodrow Wilson in the Senate and supported the graduated income tax, farm loans, and women"s suffrage.
He managed President Wilson"s western campaign against Charles Evans Hughes, which resulted in Wilson"s very narrow reelection victory. Walsh, unlike many Irish Catholics, supported Wilson"s foreign policy. He voted for war against Germany in 1917 and in 1919 supported Wilson"s peace plans, including the League of Nations.
When Walsh ran for re-election in 1924, he defeated Frank Bird Linderman by a solid margin.
In 1930, Walsh ran for re-election to what would be his fourth and final term in the Senate, and defeated Albert J. Galen in a landslide. During his tenure in the Senate, Walsh gained fame for his legal ability in the Judiciary Committee and on the floor.
In the 1920s, Walsh headed the Senate investigation into the Teapot Dome scandal that involved top officials of the administration of President Warren G. Harding. He was chairman of the Democratic National Convention in New York in 1924, and of Chicago in 1932.
Walsh opposed child labor, and supported women"s suffrage and Prohibition.
In 1933, Walsh was nominated for the post of Attorney General by incoming President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. His funeral service was held in the Chamber of the United States Senate. Interment in Resurrection Cemetery, Helena, Montana