George Perry Mahoney (December 16, 1901 – March 18, 1989) was an Irish American Catholic building contractor and Democratic Party politician from the State of Maryland. A perennial candidate, Mahoney is perhaps most famous as the Democratic nominee for Governor of Maryland in 1966. In his campaign he used the slogan "Your home is your castle; protect it." Early life and career Mahoney was born in Baltimore, the son of William D. Mahoney and Matilda "Cook" Mahoney. He married Abigail Catherine O'Donnell (died in 1963) on November 24, 1927, and later Ann Matilda Fagg. He married his third wife, plastic surgeon Dr. Linda Frank, in 1981. He worked as an engineer, construction executive, and real estate developer. Under Maryland Governor Herbert O'Conor (a fellow Irish American from Baltimore's 10th ward), Mahoney was appointed a member of the State Racing Commission, where he made a name for himself accusing the industry of fixing horse races by injecting horses with stimulants and narcotics. He was later named chairman by Governor O'Conor. In 1950 he served as a member of the Democratic National Committee from Maryland. Mahoney was also a delegate from Maryland for Democratic National Conventions in 1952, 1956, 1960, and 1964. Mahoney was a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. Political campaigns Mahoney's first campaign for office was in 1950, when he ran for governor. He challenged incumbent Democratic governor William Preston Lane, Jr. in the primary. Mahoney lost, but the bitter and divisive primary contest left the Lane campaign weakened for the general election against Republican Theodore McKeldin. Lane lost by 57% to 42%, which at that point was the largest margin of defeat in Maryland history. In 1952, Democratic U.S. Senator Herbert O'Conor retired and Mahoney won the Democratic primary to succeed him. He was defeated in the general election by Republican James Glenn Beall, 52.5% to 47.5%. Mahoney ran for governor again in 1954, narrowly losing the Democratic primary to University of Maryland President Curley Byrd by 50.64% to 49.37%. Byrd went on to lose to incumbent governor McKeldin by 54.46% to 45.54%. Mahoney ran for the U.S. Senate again in 1956. He was defeated in the Democratic primary by former senator Millard Tydings, who had been defeated in 1950 by Republican John Marshall Butler, partly because Butler's campaign had doctored a photo to show