List of American politicians of Irish descent

This is a list of notable Irish American politicians.

To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article and/or references showing the person is Irish American and a notable politician.

A–L

• William Armstrong – US Congressman, Virginia State Delegate
• Chester A. Arthur – 21st President of the United States
• David Baird Sr. – born in County Londonderry, Ireland, US Senator
• David Baird Jr. – son of David Baird Sr.; US Senator
• Samuel Fleming Barr – US Congressman
• James G. Barry – St. Louis mayor
• William B. Barry – US Congressman
• William Beatty – US Congressman, Pennsylvania State Representative
• Andrew Beirne – US Congressman, Virginia State Delegate
• Joe Biden – 46th President of the United States, 47th Vice President of the United States; mother was of Irish ancestry, father of partial Irish ancestry
• Edward P. Boland – US Congressman
• John R. Bohan – Wisconsin State Senator, Wisconsin State Assemblyman
• James E. Boyd – Nebraska governor, Omaha mayor, Nebraska State Representative
• Brendan Boyle – US Congressman
• Bob Brady – US Congressman
• William J. Brady – New Mexico Territorial representative and Sheriff of Lincoln County, from County Cavan
• David C. Broderick – US Senator
• John T. Browne – Houston mayor
• William Jennings Bryan – US Secretary of State
• Billy Bulger – President of the Massachusetts State Senate
• Aedanus Burke – Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, US Congressman, South Carolina Representative
• Thomas Burke – North Carolina governor
• Thomas A. Burke – Cleveland mayor, US Senator
• William J. Burke – US Congressman
• Thomas Burnside – Associate Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, US Congressman, Pennsylvania State Senator
• Prescott Bush – banker/US Senator
• Pierce Butler – U.S. Senator, Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation
• Brendan Byrne – former Governor of New Jersey
• Jane Byrne – Chicago mayor
• Thomas R. Byrne – St. Paul mayor
• James F. Byrnes – US Senator
• William T. Cahill – New Jersey governor
• Thompson Campbell – US Congressman, Secretary of State of Illinois
• Timothy J. Campbell – US Congressman, New York State Senator, New York State Assemblyman
• Hugh Carey – New York governor
• Patrick J. Carley – US Congressman
• Christopher P. Carney – US Congressman
• Charles Carroll of Carrollton – the sole Catholic signatory of the American Declaration of Independence
• Bob Casey Jr. – US Senator and former Pennsylvania state treasurer
• Robert P. Casey – former Pennsylvania governor
• Eugene Casserly – US Senator
• Bill Cassidy – US Senator
• Sean Casten – US Congressman
• Jerome Cavanagh – Detroit mayor
• John Michael Clancy – US Congressman, New York State Assemblyman
• Daniel Clark – US Delegate
• Grover Cleveland – 22nd and 24th President of the United States
• Bill Clinton – 42nd President of the United States
• DeWitt Clinton – New York City mayor
• W. Bourke Cockran – US Congressman
• John F. Collins – Boston mayor
• Patrick Collins – Boston mayor, US Congressman, Massachusetts State Senator, Massachusetts State Representative
• Susan Collins – US Senator
• Martin Condon – Knoxville mayor
• John Conness – US Senator and California State Assemblyman
• James Cooney – US Congressman
• Chris Coons - US Senator
• John Coughlin – First Ward Alderman in Chicago, 1893–1938
• Thomas J. Creamer – US Congressman, New York State Assemblyman, New York State Senator
• Richard Croker – Tammany Hall boss
• Joseph Crowley – US Congressman
• Ted Cruz - Texas Senator
• William Cullen – US Congressman
• John Cunneen – New York attorney general
• James Michael Curley – legendary Boston mayor, US Congressman, and Massachusetts governor
• Thomas Cusack – US Congressman
• Richard J. Daley – Chicago mayor
• Richard M. Daley – Chicago mayor; son of Richard J. Daley
• William M. Daley – U.S. Secretary of Commerce; son of Richard J. Daley
• Charles Patrick Daly – Chief Justice of New York Court of Common Pleas
• John Darragh – Pittsburgh mayor
• Harry M. Daugherty – US Attorney General, Ohio State Representative
• Jefferson Davis – Confederate President
• Robert T. Davis – US Congressman, Fall River, Massachusetts Mayor
• William Dawson – St. Paul mayor
• Éamon de Valera (1882–1975) – President of Ireland, dominant political figure in 20th-century Ireland
• John J. Dempsey – New Mexico governor
• John N. Dempsey – Connecticut governor
• Thomas Dongan governor of New York In the 1660s
• Michael Donohoe – US Congressman
• Bob Dornan – former US Congressman from California
• John G. Downey – California governor, California lieutenant governor, Calfironia State Assemblyman
• Mike Doyle – US Congressman from Pennsylvania
• James Duane – New York City mayor
• William J. Duane – 11th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
• Warren J. Duffey – US Congressman from Ohio, also Ohio's 9th congressional district
• Tom Dunn – Mayor, Elizabeth, New Jersey
• Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne – Chicago mayor and Illinois governor
• Dick Durbin – US Senator
• Thomas F. Eagleton – US Senator Missouri 1968–1987; grandfather born in County Mayo; paternal grandmother also Irish
• Thomas Addis Emmet – New York attorney general
• John Ewing – US Congressman
• Mark M. Fagan – Jersey City mayor
• Mike Fahey – Omaha mayor
• James G. Fair – US Senator
• Thomas Fallon – San Jose mayor
• James A. Farley – Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, US Postmaster General
• Michael F. Farley – US Congressman
• John Frederick Finerty – US Congressman
• Joseph E. Finerty – Gary mayor
• William Findley – US Congressman, Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Counsellor
• John F. Fitzgerald – Boston mayor, father of Rose Kennedy
• John Fitzpatrick – New Orleans mayor
• Mike Fitzpatrick – US Congressman from Pennsylvania
• Thomas Fitzsimons – US Congressman
• Peter F. Flaherty – former Pittsburgh mayor
• Michael P. Flanagan – US Congressman
• Daniel J. Flood – US Congressman from Pennsylvania
• Raymond Flynn – Boston mayor
• William S. Flynn – Rhode Island governor
• Mark Foley – US Congressman from Florida
• Michael Forbes – former US Congressman from New York
• Nicholas Ford – US Congressman
• John H. Frey - CT Republican National Committee Committeeman, former 11 term member CT House of Representatives
• Thomas Gallagher – Pittsburgh mayor
• Martin Galvin – founder of NORAID
• William F. Galvin – Massachusetts Secretary of State
• J. Joseph Garrahy – Rhode Island governor
• William Jay Gaynor – New York City mayor
• Charles P. Gillen – Newark mayor
• James Gillespie – US Congressman
• Kirsten Gillibrand – US Senator, mother is of Irish descent
• Thomas F. Gilroy – New York City mayor
• James P. Gleason – County executive of Montgomery County, Maryland
• Patrick Gleason – Long Island City political machine boss and mayor
• Martin H. Glynn – New York governor
• William R. Grace – New York City mayor
• J. Harold Grady – Baltimore mayor
• James M. Graham – US Congressman
• William T. Granahan – US Congressman
• Ulysses S. Grant – 18th President of the United States
• Horace Greeley – Newspaper publisher/US Congressman
• James D. Griffin – Mayor of Buffalo, New York, New York State Senator
• James Gunn – US Congressman
• Frank Hague – Jersey City mayor
• R. Phillip Haire – North Carolina state Representative
• James M. Hanley – US Congressman
• Warren G. Harding – 29th President of the United States
• Alexander Harper – US Congressman, Ohio State Representative
• Benjamin Harrison – 23rd President of the United States
• Maura Healey – Massachusetts Attorney General
• Jerramiah T. Healy – Jersey City mayor
• William Randolph Hearst – Newspaper publisher/US Congressman
• James J. Heffernan – US Congressman
• Brian Higgins – US Congressman
• John Hogan – US Congressman
• Larry Hogan – governor of Maryland
• John Patrick Hopkins – Chicago mayor
• Harry R. Hughes – Governor of Maryland
• Richard J. Hughes – Governor of New Jersey
• William Hughes – US Senator and US Congressman
• Charles F. Hurley – Massachusetts governor
• Denis M. Hurley – US Congressman
• Robert A. Hurley – Connecticut Governor
• Henry Hyde – US Congressman
• John F. Hylan – New York City mayor
• John B. Hynes – Boston mayor
• Andrew Jackson – 7th President of the United States
• Andrew Johnson – 17th President of the United States
• Lyndon B. Johnson – 36th President of the United States
• Charles W. Jones – US Senator and Florida State Representative
• John Johnson – US Congressman and Ohio State Senator
• Thomas Kean – former Governor of New Jersey
• Frank Keating – Oklahoma governor
• William J. Keating – former Congressman from Ohio
• Augustine B. Kelley – US Congressman
• Patrick H. Kelley – US Congressman
• Edward A. Kelly – US Congressman
• Edward Joseph Kelly – Chicago mayor
• John Kelly – Tammany Hall boss
• Joseph J. Kelly – Buffalo mayor
• Mark Kelly – US Senator
• Randy Kelly – St. Paul mayor
• Richard C. Kerens – Ambassador to Austria-Hungary 1909–1913
• Michael Kenna – First Ward Alderman in Chicago 1897–1923

• Caroline Kennedy – US Ambassador
• Edward M. Kennedy – longtime US Senator
• Edward M. Kennedy, Jr – Connecticut State Senator
• John F. Kennedy – 35th President of the United States
• Joseph P. Kennedy – US Ambassador
• Joseph P. Kennedy II – former US Congressman
• Joseph P. Kennedy III – US Congressman
• Kathleen Kennedy Townsend – former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
• Mark Kennedy – former US Congressman
• Patrick J. Kennedy – former Member Massachusetts House of Representatives; former Massachusetts Senator
• Patrick J. Kennedy II – former US Congressman
• Robert F. Kennedy – US Attorney General, US Senator, New York
• Jean Kennedy Smith – former US Ambassador
• Martin H. Kennelly – Chicago mayor
• John V. Kenny – Jersey City mayor
• John Kerrigan – Boston mayor
• Peter T. King – US Congressman
• Thomas Kirker – Ohio governor, Speaker of the Ohio Senate, Ohio State Senator, Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, Ohio State Representative
• Conor Lamb – US Congressman
• Patrick Leahy – US Senator, father is of Irish descent
• Huey Long – Louisiana governor
• Robert Lowry – US Congressman
• Stephen Lynch – US Congressman
• Thomas Lynch Jr. – signatory to the Declaration of Independence

M–Z

• Lisa Madigan – Illinois Attorney General
• Michael Madigan – Illinois Speaker of the House, Illinois Democratic Party Chairman
• George Maguire – St. Louis mayor
• Dan Malloy – Connecticut governor; Stamford, CT mayor
• Stephen Mallory – Confederate States Secretary of the Navy, US Senator
• Sean Patrick Maloney – US Congressman
• Frederick Mansfield – Boston mayor
• Mike Mansfield – US Senator, Ambassador
• Thomas J. Manton – US Congressman
• Edward Markey – US Senator
• Malachi Martin – Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
• William McAdoo – Assistant Secretary of the Navy, US Congressman, New York City Police Commissioner, New Jersey State Assemblyman
• William McAleer – US Congressman
• Gerald McCann – Jersey City mayor
• Patrick McCarran – US Senator
• Carolyn McCarthy – US Congressman
• Eugene McCarthy – US Senator
• Joseph McCarthy – US Senator
• Kevin McCarthy – Speaker of the House
• Leo T. McCarthy – California lieutenant governor, California State Assembly speaker, San Francisco supervisor
• P. H. McCarthy – San Francisco mayor
• William C. McCarthy – Pittsburgh mayor
• Blair McClenachan – US Congressman, Pennsylvania State Representative
• Mitch McConnell –Senate Minority Leader
• Frank McCoppin – San Francisco mayor
• John W. McCormack – Speaker of the House
• William McCreery – US Congressman
• Jim McDermott – US Congressman
• John J. McDonough – St. Paul mayor
• Lawrence E. McGann – US Congressman
• J. Howard McGrath – US Senator, Rhode Island governor
• John J. McGrath – US Congressman
• James McGreevey – New Jersey governor
• Edwin D. McGuinness – Providence mayor
• James Kennedy McGuire – Syracuse mayor
• Thomas McKean – signatory to the Declaration of Independence
• Bernard J. McKenna – Pittsburgh mayor
• Joseph McKenna – US Attorney General
• William McKinley – 25th President of the United States
• John McKinly – Delaware president
• Hugh McLaughlin – Brooklyn Democratic party boss
• Joseph McLaughlin – US Congressman
• Robert McNamara – United States Secretary of Defense under President John F. Kennedy
• Frank J. McNulty – US Congressman
• Michael R. McNulty – US Congressman
• Marty Meehan – US Congressman
• John Purroy Mitchel – New York City mayor
• Robert M. Moore – Cincinnati mayor
• Jim Moran – US Congressman
• John Morrissey – US Congressman
• William J. Moxley – US Congressman
• Daniel Patrick Moynihan – former US Senator
• P. H. Moynihan – US Congressman
• Bryan Mullanphy – St. Louis mayor
• William D. Mullins – member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and baseball player
• Lisa Murkowski – US Senator
• Charles F. Murphy – Tammany Hall boss
• Chris Murphy – US Senator and former Congressman
• Dick Murphy – San Diego mayor
• Frank Murphy – Detroit mayor, Michigan governor
• George Murphy – US Senator
• Isaac Murphy – Arkansas governor
• Morgan F. Murphy – US Congressman
• Philip D. Murphy – New Jersey governor
• Timothy Murphy – US Congressman
• Tom Murphy – Pittsburgh mayor
• William T. Murphy – US Congressman
• James C. Murray – US Congressman
• Timothy P. Murray – Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
• John Murtha – US Congressman
• Richard Neal – US Congressman
• Richard Nixon – 37th President of the United States
• Michael N. Nolan – US Congressman, Albany mayor
• Mary T. Norton – US Congressman
• Barack Obama – 44th President of the United States
• Frank O'Bannon – Indiana governor
• Christopher D. O'Brien – St. Paul mayor
• Hugh O'Brien – Boston's first Irish mayor
• James O'Brien – US Congressman
• John P. O'Brien – New York City mayor
• Thomas J. O’Brien – US Congressman
• Dan O'Connell – Albany mayor
• Bob O'Connor – Mayor of Pittsburgh
• Maureen O'Connor – San Diego mayor
• Herbert R. O'Conor – Maryland governor
• Kenneth O'Donnell – Senior Aide to President John F Kennedy
• William O'Dwyer – New York City mayor
• James A. O'Gorman – US Senator
• Barratt O'Hara – US Congressman
• Arthur J. O'Keefe – New Orleans mayor
• George T. Oliver – US Senator
• Martin O'Malley – Baltimore mayor
• Charles H. O'Neill – Jersey City mayor
• Thomas O'Neill – Speaker of the House
• William A. O'Neill – Connecticut governor
• Daniel O'Reilly – US Congressman
• Beto O'Rourke, – US Congressman and Presidential candidate
• George F. O'Shaunessy – US Congressman
• George Pataki – New York governor
• William Paterson – US Supreme Court Associate Justice, 2nd Governor of New Jersey, US Senator, 1st Attorney General of New Jersey
• Thomas M. Patterson – US Senator, US Congressman, and Territorial Delegate
• Mike Pence – 48th Vice President of the United States; 50th Governor of Indiana
• Tom Pendergast – Kansas City Democratic machine boss
• James D. Phelan – San Francisco mayor, US Senator
• George Washington Plunkitt – Tammany Hall member
• Alexander Porter – US Senator, Louisiana Supreme Court Associate Justice, Louisiana State Representative
• John Logan Power – Mississippi secretary of state
• Samantha Power – US Ambassador
• William Prince – US Congressman, Indiana State Representative, Indiana State Senator
• Jack Quinn – US Congressman
• John Quinn – US Congressman, New York State Assemblyman

• Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) – 40th President of the United States (1981–1989); 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975); father was Irish-American
• Thomas Reilly – Massachusetts Attorney General
• James B. Reynolds – US Congressman
• Daniel J. Riordan – US Congressman
• Richard Riordan – former Los Angeles mayor
• Bernard Shandon Rodey – US Delegate
• William R. Roberts – US Congressman
• John J. Rooney – US Congressman
• William Russell – US Congressman, Ohio State Representative, Ohio State Senator
• Jim Ryan – former Illinois Attorney General; father was Irish, mother was Italian
• Paul Ryan – US Congressman and 2012 Vice Presidential nominee; father was of Irish ancestry
• Tim Ryan – US Congressman
• William Ryan – US Congressman
• Christopher Scanlon – Buffalo mayor
• Mary Gay Scanlon – US Congresswoman from Pennsylvania
• William J. Sewell – US Senator, President of the New Jersey Senate
• Wilson Shannon – Ohio governor
• H. James Shea Jr. – member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
• William F. Sheehan – Buffalo democratic machine boss
• John Sheridan – New Jersey Transportation Commissioner
• James Shields – US Congressman, Ohio State Representative
• James Shields – US Senator, Commissioner of the General Land Office, Illinois Auditor
• Peter Joseph Shields – Superior Court Judge, Jeffersonian Democrat, for 49 years; founder of University of California at Davis, and the McGeorge Law School; son of John Shields, County Donegal, Ireland and Elizabeth Bowe, County Waterford, Ireland
• Sargent Shriver – Democratic politician
• John Smilie – US Congressman
• Al Smith – New York governor, Democratic Party presidential candidate (Irish born grandparents from Westmeath; Smith identified as an Irish American)
• James Smith – signatory to the Declaration of Independence
• O'Brien Smith – US Congressman, South Carolina Senator, South Carolina Representative
• Alexander Smyth – US Congressman, Virginia State Delegate
• Peter J. Somers – Milwaukee mayor
• Brian P. Stack – Mayor of Union City, New Jersey
• Michael J. Stack – US Congressman
• Christopher D. Sullivan – US Congressman
• James Sullivan – Massachusetts governor
• Patrick Joseph Sullivan – US Senator and Wyoming State Representative
• Timothy Sullivan – US Congressman
• Jane Swift – first woman to serve as Massachusetts governor
• William Howard Taft – 27th President of the United States
• James Tate – first Catholic mayor of Philadelphia
• Thomas Taggart – US Senator, Chair of the Democratic National Committee, 18th Mayor of Indianapolis
• George Taylor – signatory to the Declaration of Independence
• John K. Tener – Pennsylvania governor, US Congressman
• Charles Thomson – secretary to the Continental Congress
• John Thomson – US Congressman, Ohio State Senator, Ohio State Representative
• Matthew Thornton – signatory to the Declaration of Independence
• John F. Tierney – US Congressman
• Maurice J. Tobin – Boston mayor and Massachusetts governor
• Harry S. Truman – 33rd President of the United States
• Joseph Patrick Tumulty – attorney/secretary to Woodrow Wilson
• John V. Tunney – US Senator
• William M. Tweed – Political boss/US Congressman
• Jimmy Walker – New York City mayor
• David I. Walsh – Massachusetts' first Catholic governor
• James T. Walsh – US Congressman
• Marty Walsh – US Secretary of Labor, Boston mayor
• Michael Walsh – US Congressman, New York State Assemblyman
• Patrick Walsh – Mayor of Augusta, Georgia, US Senator, Georgia State Assemblyman
• Thomas W. Ward – Austin mayor
• Thomas J. Whelan – Jersey City mayor
• Campbell P. White – US Congressman
• Woodrow Wilson – 28th President of the United States
• William Whipple – signatory to the Declaration of Independence
• Kevin White – Boston mayor
• Thomas L. Young – Ohio governor, lieutenant governor Ohio, US Congressman, Ohio State Senator, Ohio State Representative

References