Austin Andrew Meehan, Sr., (August 29, 1897 – October 5, 1961) was a Republican politician in Philadelphia who served as county sheriff. Before entering politics, Meehan ran his family's paving business and was known as a local basketball star. Beginning as an insurgent within the city's Republican Party, he soon won the favor of party bosses and climbed the ranks of Philadelphia's Republican organization. Meehan served two terms as county sheriff from 1944 to 1952 and was recognized as the unofficial head of the Republican Party in Philadelphia in the 1950s. He remained an influential party member until his death in 1961. He was the father of Billy Meehan. Early life Meehan was born in 1897 in Philadelphia, the son of John Meehan and Anna Waldron Meehan. Meehan's parents were Irish immigrants, and he grew up in North Philadelphia's 37th ward. In 1917, he married Jane McNulty, with whom he would later have four sons and four daughters. From the age of 14, Meehan worked for his father, a paving contractor with his own increasingly successful business. Meehan played on some of the early professional basketball teams around the city, including the Philadelphia 50 Club, St. Henry, and Shanahan. Local sports writers awarded Meehan the credit for Shanahan's defeat of the city's dominant team, the SPHAs, in 1925. After his basketball career ended, he became involved with charity work in Northeast Philadelphia, including sponsoring youth sports. Financial success from his contracting business gave him independence, and Meehan entered politics at an early age, often sparring with the Republican Party establishment in the city. Insurgent candidate In 1935, Democratic governor George H. Earle appointed Meehan to one of the Republican slots on the city's voter registration committee. Meehan immediately found himself at odds with the party organization, saying later that year that the "dead heads" in the party must be removed from power if they hoped to win the election that year. He soon broke with councilman Clarence K. Crossan, who had supported him for the job, and considered a run for sheriff or for Crossan's seat on city council. Meehan and Crossan later reconciled, but Meehan bucked the party by throwing his support to John B. Kelly Sr., the Democratic candidate for mayor. Kelly lost the 1935 election, and Meehan resigned his seat on the registration committee. Meehan never again backed a Democrat for office, but he remained a thorn