Thomas Joseph O'Connor Jr. (July 27, 1925 – September 11, 1996) was an American politician who served as mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts. Early life O'Connor was born on July 27, 1925 in Springfield. He was one of seven children of milkman Thomas J. O'Connor Sr. and grew up in Springfield's Hungry Hill neighborhood. O'Connor was part of a large family, he had more than 50 cousins that lived in the Springfield area, many of whom worked on his campaigns. His relatives included the O'Connor, Moriarty, Fitzgerald, and Martinelli families of Springfield. Never married, O'Connor lived in Springfield with a brother and two sisters. O'Connor attended Springfield Classical High School, where he won class president. He received a four-year scholarship to Amherst College, where he also served as class president. He went on to attend Georgetown University Law School on a scholarship. In 1951 O'Connor became associated in a law firm with his brother Bernard, cousin S. Thomas Martinelli, and former Hampden Counrt District Attorney Thomas F. Moriarty. Moriarty was O'Connor's political mentor and Martinelli worked as O'Connor's campaign manager when he ran for U.S. Senate. Political career State representative O'Connor began his political career in 1952 as a candidate for the Massachusetts House of Representatives seat in the 5th Hampden District. He finished first in the fourteen candidate Democratic primary, which was tantamount to election. Mayor of Springfield In 1957, O'Connor swept all 68 of the city's precincts to defeated 12-year incumbent Daniel B. Brunton for the Democratic nomination for mayor of Springfield. He then beat Republican C. Clement Easton 31,561 votes to 20,826 in the general election. At 32 years old he was the youngest mayor ever elected in city history. In 1959 he easily defeated Brunton in a primary rematch 21,975 votes to 6,630 and Republican Paul E. Affleck and Brunton, who ran as an independent, 39,409 votes to Affleck's 11,424 and Brunton's 1,910. During the campaign he received the endorsement of The Springfield Union, a Republican newspaper. During his tenure as Mayor, O'Connor oversaw a downtown road system and urban renewal project that received $3 million in federal funds. Due to these funds he was also able to lower the city's tax rate. In 1959 the University of Massachusetts' bureau of government research named Springfield "the outstanding city in the Commonwealth". U.S. Senate campaign On June 15, 1960, O'Connor announced he would challenge Governor Foster Furcolo for