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Daniel O. Mahoney (left), with John William Ward at a Ward Commission hearing into corruption in Bay State government. (associated press file/1980) |
Daniel Mahoney, 78, pillar of panel probing corruption
As a member of the Ward Commission, Daniel O. Mahoney had the "tenacity and high standards" that gave the panel's investigators courage to expose a deep culture of corruption plaguing Massachusetts in the 1970s, the commission's chief lawyer said.
"He would follow the evidence wherever it led - even when we had to go to court to enforce subpoenas against former governors," said Boston attorney Nick Littlefield, who was the commission's counsel and staff director. "We knew we had commissioners like him willing to back us up."
Mr. Mahoney, who was a senior litigation partner at Palmer & Dodge in Boston, died Nov. 9 at the Coyne Healthcare Center in Rockland from complications of Alzheimer's disease. He was 78.
Headed by John William Ward, the commission issued a report in 1980 exposing bribery, kickbacks, and extortion as a "way of life" in Massachusetts' construction contracts. Reforms included creation of the Inspector General's Office.
Mr. Mahoney, whom friends called a "gentle giant" because of his height and deep voice, presented the commission's findings to legislators.
"Ward was the face of the commission, but he had Dan Mahoney at his side and had total faith in him," Littlefield said. Ward died in 1985.
Mr. Mahoney was born in New Bedford to Robert and Virginia (O'Connell) Mahoney. One of four children, he grew up in Mattapoisett, where he played football and was an honors student. His father died when he was 9.
Mr. Mahoney's strong sense of public service stemmed from his grandfather Dennis Mahoney of Mattapoisett, said his daughter, Hannah of Cambridge.
"From his grandfather Dennis, he learned optimism in the face of obstacles, integrity in dealing with others, and generosity to his community," she said.
Mr. Mahoney's grandfather was a first-generation Irish-American who founded a lumber and coal business in Fall River that still operates as the lumber company Dennis Mahoney & Sons.
Mr. Mahoney graduated from Williams College in 1950 and earned his law degree from Harvard.
He met Nancy Miller while at Williams. She attended Bennington College.
"He could easily have picked someone more conventional, but instead he fell in love with a beautiful modern dancer from California who would challenge him, and make him laugh, and help keep his ego in check," Hannah said.
They married in 1952 and raised four children in Marblehead. Mr. Mahoney prized education and clear speech. He held "Enunciation Weeks" in his home and tallied his children's points on a kitchen bulletin board.
Mrs. Mahoney died in 2000.
During the Korean War, Mr. Mahoney was stationed in El Paso, Texas, and was a captain in the US Army Judge Advocate General's Corps.
He loved the intellectual rigor of law, courtroom performance, and the banter of his fellow bar members, his family said.
He became president of the Massachusetts Bar Association in 1982, after serving as treasurer from 1978 to 1981.
Mr. Mahoney loved sailing in all kinds of weather, according to his family. In rough seas, he liked to sweep across Buzzards Bay in his Herreshoff, The Hannah, while shouting, "Hoorah!" into the wind.
He liked to listen to classical music on his drive into Boston. Sundays found him working on The
In the 1980s, Mr. Mahoney moved back to Mattapoisett, where he and his wife built their dream home on Goodspeed Island. He became active in town affairs and was elected selectman for two terms. He also served on the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Mr. Mahoney served as president of the board of trustees of the Tower School in Marblehead and at Concord Academy. He also was on the board of directors for Social Justice for Women, a nonprofit for women facing issues in Boston Municipal Court.
"He was just a charming, delightful gentleman," said Blanche Perry of Mattapoisett, who went to high school with Mr. Mahoney. "He was a soft-spoken, very articulate, intelligent man."
In addition to his daughter, Mr. Mahoney leaves two sons, Daniel of Marion and Timothy of Folsom, Calif.; a brother, Robert of Springfield, Mo.; and three grandchildren.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
