The Politically Talented D’Alesandro Family
- Thomas D’Alesandro Jr.
By Joseph “Sonny” Scafetta, Jr
Thomas D’Alesandro, Jr. as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Thomas D’Alesandro Jr. was born in Baltimore, Maryland on August 1, 1903. His father was Tommaso Giovanni D’Alesandro and his mother was Maria Foppiani Petronilla, a young widow whom his father had married in their home community of Montenerodomo (population 673 in the 2017 Census) in the province of Chieti, in the region of Abruzzo, Italy. After they married, the young couple immigrated to Baltimore where both had relatives living. Thomas graduated from a local Catholic high school and then from the Calvert Business College in Baltimore. After graduating with a twoyear business degree at age 20 in 1923, he went to work as an insurance and real estate broker. After three years, he ran for public office as a Democrat and was elected to the Maryland State House of Delegates.
He started to serve in Annapolis in January 1926. In 1928, the 25-year old Thomas married Annunciata Lombardi, six years his junior, who had emigrated from the city of Campobasso (population 49,230 in the 2017 Census) in the province of Campobasso in the region of Molise, Italy. They had six children, five sons and one daughter. His oldest son, Thomas John D’Alesandro III, also became a Mayor of Baltimore while his only daughter, Nancy Patricia D’Alesandro Pelosi, became the first woman Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Thomas served in the Maryland House until 1933 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him to be the General Deputy Collector of Internal Revenue in Washington, D.C.
After a year of service, he quit to run for the Baltimore City Council and was elected in November, 1934. He was sworn into office in January 1935 and served one three-year term. In November 1938, he was elected as the Congressman for the Third District of Maryland in the 76th U.S. Congress. He was sworn into office on January 3, 1939. On December 8, 1941, he voted with the majority of the House of Representatives to declare war on Japan. However, he challenged Roosevelt’s lack of interest in aiding Jewish refugees during World War II.
After the war ended, he lobbied President Harry S. Truman to oppose British control of Palestine. Thomas served in the House of Representatives until May 16, 1947, when he resigned after winning an election to become the Mayor of Baltimore. He served three four-year terms for a total of 12 years until May 16, 1959. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed him to the Federal Renegotiation Board in Washington, D.C. He served in this position for almost eight years until January 20, 1969. After leaving this post at the age of 65, he retired from active politics and returned to his family home in Baltimore where he lived the last 18 years of his life. He died in his home in Baltimore on August 23, 1987, about three weeks after his 84th birthday. His wife survived him and lived another eight years. ❚ Sources
, all accessed August 1, 2020: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
www.geni.com/people/Tommaso-G-D-Alesandro/6000000 (link expired) it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montenerodomo
THIS IS YOUR NOTIZIARIO
By Carmine James Spellane, Editor
The Notiziario belongs to all of us, and we want to hear from you. The AMHS is much more than just its meetings. We are a vibrant society of people who care about their heritage and want to learn more. And all of us have stories to tell. We encourage you to submit articles for the newsletter to tell your story. It could be about a recent trip to Italy, honors received by you or your family, milestones such as significant birthdays or anniversaries, reviews of books on Italian topics, or recipes, to name but a few ideas. All articles can be emailed to abruzzomoliseheritagesociety@gmail.com to my attention. As editor, I will carefully review each submission and edit as needed. Please understand that publication of any article is subject to space available and the appropriate nature of the content, but we will make every effort to use your work and photos. The AMHS is making new efforts to engage our current members and add more to our ranks. A vibrant Notiziario is part of that. As our society approaches its 21st anniversary, let’s all help ensure a bright future for our mission to celebrate “all things Italian.” ❚