a Mayor of Philadelphia, Connell was often referred to as the acting mayor in media reports. The City Charter at the time called for the election of a replacement of the mayor by a vote of the council, with the council president holding office until that election. While the council intended to vote in Connell's favor, an obscure provision in the charter stated that a member of council would not be eligible to hold another office "during the term for which he shall have been elected as Councilman." Upon discovery, some members of the council interpreted this to mean that Connell could not formally be elected as Mayor. The council's options were to ignore the portion of the charter requiring the council to elect a mayor or to elect Connell and allow the issue to be resolved in the courts. Regardless of the decisions around seating Connell as mayor, he served out the remainder of Wilson's term until Robert Lamberton's inauguration on January 1, 1940. After Connell left office, Mayor Lamberton appointed him as Director of Public Welfare. Connell died on October 22, 1955, after a stroke and is interred at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia. He was survived by his wife Carolina (Fairman) Connell, his son George Fairman Connell and a daughter. References External links 1871 births 1955 deaths Burials at Mount Moriah Cemetery (Philadelphia) Mayors of Philadelphia Philadelphia City Council members Pennsylvania Republicans Presidents of the Philadelphia City Council