J. Howard McGrath was born in Woonsocket, RI, on Nov. 28, 1903, to James J. McGrath and Ida E. May. His father was an Irish immigrant and organizer for the Independent Order of Foresters. The McGrath family soon moved to Providence, where J. Howard McGrath attended St. Joseph’s Parochial School and La Salle Academy, before earning his Bachelor of Philosophy degree from Providence College and his law degree from Boston University. McGrath married Estelle Cadorette in 1929 in Central Falls, RI, where he soon became city solicitor. From 1935-1940, McGrath served as U.S. district attorney, before being elected as Rhode Island governor in 1940. Winning re-election in 1942 and 1944, McGrath made a name for himself as a liberal politician, supporting social legislation. He left his governorship in 1945, and he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1946. McGrath’s highest-ranking post was U.S. Attorney General – he was appointed by President Harry S. Truman in 1949, but resigned in 1952. His resignation, requested by President Truman, made headlines, and came after McGrath had dismissed federal corruption investigator Newbold Morris from his position. McGrath practiced law privately until his death in 1966.
Sources:
“McGrath-Cadorette.” The Providence Journal. Nov. 29, 1929.
“J. Howard McGrath, Ex-Attorney General, Dies.” The New York Times. Sept. 3, 1966.
“Attorney General: James Howard McGrath.” United States Department of Justice, Oct. 25, 2022. https://www.justice.gov/ag/bio/mcgrath-james-howard
This collection is comprised of materials that document J. Howard McGrath’s professional, political, and personal life. The majority of the collection relates to McGrath’s personal life, including photographs and other memorabilia, and McGrath’s financial records.
Providence College Archives and Special Collections owns the property rights to this collection. Consideration of the copyrights is the responsibility of the researcher.
This collection is open to researchers. Researchers should note that the collection is not fully processed.
Author Last Name, First Name Middle Name or Initial. Title or description of material. Day month year. J. Howard McGrath papers. SC023, Box number, Folder number. Providence College Archives and Special Collections, Phillips Memorial Library. URL if applicable.
The collection has been arranged into eight preliminary series, pending processing:
Material was acquired from David J. McGrath, son of J. Howard McGrath.
The collection was partially processed by Jane Jackson in 1978.
No accruals are expected.
For the archival collections covering the latter half of McGrath’s career, see the J. Howard McGrath papers at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/personal-papers/j-howard-mcgrath-papers
A draft index of subjects found within the collection, created during initial processing, is available upon request.
Digitized versions of audiovisual materials are available upon request.
This series contains materials related to McGrath's work with the Democratic Party. Materials cover elections, State Committee work, National Committee work, work at city and town levels, Young Democrats, and the Colored Democratic Club of Rhode Island.
This series is comprised of case files of clients of McGrath during his years working as a lawyer in private practice. They are organized alphabetically by clients’ last names.
This series contains correspondence and other materials relating to constituency advocacy in which McGrath engaged during is tenures as U.S. attorney, solicitor general, and governor of Rhode Island. It also includes official correspondence relating to the offices of the U.S. attorney, Central Falls city solicitor, and the office of U.S. Sen. Peter G. Gerry.
This series contains films and audio recordings. The films are primarily related to World War II and produced by the U.S. Government. There are also personal films of McGrath's family events. The audio recordings contain speeches by McGrath at various political events, including the Democratic State Committee in 1944 and 1946, and the Democratic National Committee in 1942 and 1944. Digitized versions of the films are available upon request.
This series contains newspaper clippings covering McGrath's career.
This series contains materials relating to McGrath's personal life, including photographs, greeting cards and congratulatory messages, event ephemera, memorabilia, and materials relating to clubs, organizations, and associations of which McGrath was a part.
This series contains records of McGrath's finances. It contains checks, bank books, bank statements, records of expenses, insurance, and investments.
The materials in this series have yet to be identified pending processing.