James Delaney (mayor)

James Delaney (1889–1970) was Mayor of Anchorage, Alaska from 1929 to 1932.

Biography

James J. Delaney, Sr. was born in Aghamore, County Mayo, Ireland in 1896.[the former source, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~coleen/anchorage_census.html, is incorrect.] He came to Anchorage, Alaska in 1916 to work on the railroad for the Alaskan Engineering Commission (known after its 1923 completion as the Alaska Railroad). In 1929, he married Nancy Marie Dillon, also of Ireland. The Delaneys had three children: Nancy, James, Jr., and Loretta.

In 1929, Delaney was elected to the first of three consecutive terms as Mayor. His first year in office, he successfully petitioned the General Land Office for the title to the land that would become Merrill Field. The field abutting downtown which was serving as an airstrip at that time was later renamed the Delaney Park Strip.

Delaney died in 1970 and was buried in Anchorage Memorial Park..

References

• James Delaney at Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery

Mayors of Anchorage, Alaska, USA Town/City of Anchorage (1920 – 1975) David Conroy Bush Eckmann Clayson Reed Delaney Gill McCroskey Gill Brown Romig Brown Vaara Stolt Wolfe Manders Ervin (acting) Bowden Loussac Taylor Hinchey Anderson Lounsbury (acting) Byer Sharrock Rasmuson G. Sullivan Greater Anchorage Area Borough (1964 – 1975) Asplund Roderick Municipality of Anchorage (since 1975) G. Sullivan Knowles Fink Mystrom Wuerch Begich Claman (acting) D. Sullivan