William Francis Sheehan (November 6, 1859 — March 14, 1917) was an American lawyer and politician. During his political career he became known as
Blue-Eyed Billy.
Biography
He was born on November 6, 1859 in
Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
.
He began his political career as a clerk in the office of his brother John Sheehan, who was City Controller of Buffalo until
Grover ClevelandStephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
refused to have him on his mayoral ticket in 1881.
He was Democratic a member from Erie County of the
New York State AssemblyThe New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
from 1885 to 1891. As an assemblyman, he secured the appointments of his brother John as a clerk in the New York Aqueduct Board, and of his law partner
Charles F. TaborCharles Franklin Tabor was an American lawyer and politician.-Life:He was the son of Silas Tabor and Betsey E. Tabor. In 1843, the family removed to Newstead, New York. He was educated at academies in Clarence and Williamsville, Buffalo suburbs, and at the seminary in Lima...
as First Deputy of the
New York State Attorney GeneralThe New York State Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of New York. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government of New York.The current Attorney General is Eric Schneiderman...
. In 1891, he was elected
Speaker of the New York State AssemblyThe Speaker of the New York State Assembly is the highest official in the New York State Assembly, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party....
.
He was Lieutenant Governor of
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
from 1892 to 1894, elected in 1891. Afterwards he established a prosperous law firm in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with
Alton B. ParkerAlton Brooks Parker was an American lawyer, judge and the Democratic nominee for U.S. president in the 1904 elections.-Life:...
. He was a member of the New York Democratic State Committee from 1889 to 1893, and a member from New York of the
Democratic National CommitteeThe Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
in 1891 and 1896. He was a delegate from New York to the
Democratic National ConventionThe Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
in 1912.
In the
U.S. Senate election of 1911The 1911 United States Senate election in New York was held from January 17 to March 31, 1911, by the New York State Legislature to elect a U.S. Senator to represent the State of New York in the United States Senate.-Background:Republican Chauncey M...
, he was the Democratic candidate to succeed
Chauncey DepewChauncey Mitchell Depew was an attorney for Cornelius Vanderbilt's railroad interests, president of the New York Central Railroad System, and a United States Senator from New York from 1899 to 1911.- Biography:...
as U.S. Senator from New York. Sheehan was nominated by the Democratic caucus, but was successfully blocked by a group of "Insurgents", led by State Senator
Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
.
He was a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1915. He died in 1917 in command of a multi-million dollar fortune.
Marriage
He was married to Blanche Nellany (1869–1929), sister of Charles V. Nellany; her portrait by the Swiss-born American artist
Adolfo Müller-UryAdolfo Muller-Ury was a Swiss-born American portrait painter and impressionistic painter of roses and still life.-Heritage and early life in Switzerland:...
(1862–1947) painted in the autumn of 1903, is today in the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, Buffalo.
External links