James J. Heffernan

James Joseph Heffernan was an American architect and politician who served six terms as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1941 to 1953.

Biography

James Joseph Heffernan was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 8, 1888. He graduated from Bryant & Stratton College in 1906 and Pratt Institute in 1908, and became an architect.

Political career

He was a leader in Brooklyn's Democratic Party, and was a Delegate to several state and national conventions.
Heffernan served as Brooklyn's Highway Commissioner from 1926 to 1933, and was a Delegate to the 1938 state constitutional convention.

Congress

In 1940 he was elected to Congress as a Democrat. He was reelected five times and served from January 3, 1941, to January 3, 1953. He did not run for reelection in 1952 and resumed working as an architect.

Death

Heffernan died in Long Branch, New Jersey, on January 27, 1967. He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn.
His brother William J. Heffernan was also a political figure in Brooklyn.