S. Howard Donnell

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S. Howard Donnell
Member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council from the 5th District
In office
1944–1945
Preceded byWilliam H. McSweeney
Succeeded byRobert V. O'Sullivan
District Attorney of Essex County, Massachusetts
In office
1920–1923
Preceded byHenry G. Wells
Succeeded byWilliam G. Clark
Mayor of Peabody, Massachusetts
In office
1916–1920
Preceded byPosition created
Succeeded byWilliam A. Shea
Personal details
Born(1881-03-21)March 21, 1881
Peabody, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedNovember 28, 1952(1952-11-28) (aged 71)
Peabody, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting placeCedar Grove Cemetery
Peabody, Massachusetts
Political partyRepublican
Alma materBoston University School of Law
OccupationAttorney

Samuel Howard Donnell (March 21, 1881 – November 28, 1952) was an American lawyer and politician who was the first mayor of Peabody, Massachusetts and was district attorney of Essex County, Massachusetts.

Early life[edit]

Donnell was born on March 21, 1881, in Peabody. He graduated from Peabody High School and worked in local tanneries to finance his education at the Boston University School of Law. He was admitted to the bar in 1902.[1]

Municipal offices[edit]

Donnell was elected town solicitor in 1904. From 1905 to 1911 he was a member of the Peabody school committee. In 1912 he was elected town moderator. When Peabody switched to a city to a city charter, Donnell won the city's first mayoral election. He served as mayor from 1916 to 1920. As mayor, Donnell lowered the city's tax rate and launched a $700,000 highway and sidewalk construction project.[1]

District attorney[edit]

In 1919, Donnell was elected Essex County District Attorney after he upset incumbent DA Henry G. Wells in the Republican primary.[2]

In 1921, Donnell ordered the exhumation of Edward Francis Searles after he received an anonymous letter alleging Searles had been poisoned. Searles' doctor told Donnell that although Searles had suffered from symptoms that could be attributed arsenic poisoning in the days preceding his death, he believed Searles had died of natural causes. Although Donnell believed that there wasn't enough evidence to believe that Searles had been poisoned, "there can be on real objection to an autopsy that will set at rest all rumors".[3] On February 10, 1922, Donnell announced that the investigation had found that Searles had died from natural causes.[4]

In 1922, Donnell sought the Republican nomination for Massachusetts Attorney General rather than running for reelection.[5] He finished a distant third in the primary, which was won by Jay R. Benton.[6]

Legal career[edit]

After leaving office, Donnell practiced law in Peabody. In 1932 he represented the stockholders of the defunct Salem Trust Company in equity proceedings brought by the state bank commissioner.[7] The case went to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, where justice John Crawford Crosby entered a final decree ordering the bank's officers and directors to pay the institution's obligations with interest.[8] John A. Deery, the president of Salem Trust, pleaded guilty to 15 counts of accepting fictitious obligations and 10 counts of making loans to individuals known to be insolvent. He was sentenced to one year in the House of Correction.[9]

In 1933, Donnell and Bart J. Ronan represented Dr. Harris S. Pomeroy, a physician who attended to Peabody firefighter William J. Costello before his unexpected death.[10] Jessie Costello was charged with her husband's murder, but was found not guilty.[11][12]

In 1939, Donnell secured an attachment on Peabody City Hall after the city failed to pay judgments to three of Donnell's clients.[13] The auction of city hall was avoided when Mayor Joseph B. O'Keefe ordered the judgment to be paid off.[14]

In 1941 he defended Emelian Kucher, a Peabody leather worker who was sued for alienation by his daughter-in-law. Anne Kucher accused Emelian Kucher of causing his son John, whose whereabouts were unknown, to leave her. The court found in favor of the defense.[15][16]

Massachusetts Governor's Council[edit]

In 1944, Governor Leverett Saltonstall appointed Donnell succeed the deceased William H. McSweeney on the Massachusetts Governor's Council.[17] He ran as a write-in candidate for the Republican nomination in that year's election, but lost in the primary to Washington Cook.[18]

Death[edit]

Donnell died on November 28, 1952, after suffering a heart attack in his Peabody Square office. He was survived by his wife and three children. He was buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery in Peabody.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "S. Howard Donnell Peabody's First Mayor Fatally Stricken". The Boston Globe. Peabody (published November 29, 1952). November 28, 1952. p. 13. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Dist Atty Wells Beaten". The Boston Globe. September 24, 1919. p. 9. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Body of Searles Will Be Exhumed". The Boston Globe. Lawrence (published October 4, 1921). October 3, 1921. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Millionaire Searles Not Poison Victim". The Boston Globe. Salem (published February 11, 1922). February 10, 1922. p. 7. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Donnell Rallies in Cambridge Tonight". The Boston Globe. August 21, 1922. p. 5. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth (1922). Election Statistics, 1922. Boston, MA. p. 34.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ "Donnell Bitterly Hits Part Mulloney Played". The Boston Globe. Salem (published October 25, 1932). October 24, 1932. p. 4. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Guy Victor Against Salem Trust Group". The Boston Globe. Salem (published June 21, 1933). June 20, 1933. p. 7. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Year in Jail Given Deery". The Boston Globe. Salem (published March 30, 1933). March 29, 1933. p. 3. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Monahan, Alfred J. (March 22, 1933). "Dr Pomeroy Faces New Grill in Costello Case". The Boston Globe. Salem (published March 23, 1933). pp. 1, 8. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Monahan, Alfred J. (August 15, 1933). "Jessie Freed, Returns To Family: Throng Rushes Cottage To See Her". The Boston Daily Globe. Salem (published August 16, 1933). pp. 1, 6, 7. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Dinneen, Joseph F. (August 14, 1933). "New Cregg Puts Spell On Court". The Boston Daily Globe (published August 15, 1933). pp. 1, 9. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Peabody City Hall for Sale". The Boston Globe. January 15, 1939.
  14. ^ "Prevents Sale of Peabody City Hall". The Boston Globe. Peabody (published February 18, 1939). February 17, 1939. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Kucher Alienation Suit Goes to Judge". The Boston Globe. Salem (published March 21, 1941). March 20, 1941. p. 7. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Cambridge Wife Loses $50,000 Alienation Suit". The Boston Globe. Salem (published March 29, 1941). March 28, 1941. p. 17. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Donnell to Replace McSweeney on Executive Council". The Boston Globe. June 23, 1944. p. 22. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Office of the Secretary of Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1944). Election Statistics. p. 137.
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