Michael J. Clohessy
(1868 – 1921)
Acting Chief - July 2, 1897 – June 15, 1898
Chief - June 15, 1898 – June 30, 1899
(1868 – 1921)
Acting Chief - July 2, 1897 – June 15, 1898
Chief - June 15, 1898 – June 30, 1899
Michael J. Clohessy was born in Binghampton, NJ in 1868. In 1890, at the age of 22, he moved to Portland and went into the real estate business. For the next twenty-eight years he was one of Portland’s leading realtors; for several years in partnership with Frank L. McGuire. In 1893 he began a long career as a Democratic Party activist, serving as clerk of the Multnomah County party for many years. Clohessy’s political activity led Mayor Sylvester Pennoyer to appoint him clerk of the Police Department in July 1896. Pennoyer exerted erratic control over the Police Department, which had five Chiefs during his two year term. Clohessy provided what little stability the force had during that tumultuous time. Clohessy’s rumored ambition to be named Police Chief became somewhat of a joke.
During P.J. Barry’s illness, Clohessy served as acting chief of the department. The Oregonian claimed that Mayor Pennoyer kept Barry on the payroll because he was afraid of what Barry might have to say about the state of the police department during the election of 1898. Clohessy was finally named Chief in June 1898, shortly after the election. Clohessy faced a department cut to the bone and with very poor moral. Public support for the Police Department reached new lows and the force was seen as a political rather than a law enforcement agency.
Larry Sullivan’s criminal organization in the North End was attracting outlaws from to Portland. “Sure-thing” men such as “Black Kid” Hall and the notorious Ironfoot Johnson gathered in the North End, especially around election time. Fighting between Republican and Democratic factions flourished, and provided many opportunities for criminals to entrench themselves in Portland, along with some violent street fights. Although Clohessy ran the Police Department on a business-like basis, with low morale and diminished forces it was unable to bring the city under control. Graft by patrol officers, especially in the North End, became commonplace. Chief Clohessy took it to the next level, when he closed all of the Chinese lotteries in town for one day; until they made a large contribution to the “Bryan-Mitchell Push” of 1898.
After William Mason was elected Mayor it was clear that Clohessy’s days as Chief were numbered and he left office on June 30, 1899. He went back into the real estate business, developing new neighborhoods in the South End and the Eastside. He remained active in the Democratic Party and was regularly named as a candidate for Police Chief whenever Democrats were strong at the polls. He died of a heart attack in 1921 at the age of 53.
During P.J. Barry’s illness, Clohessy served as acting chief of the department. The Oregonian claimed that Mayor Pennoyer kept Barry on the payroll because he was afraid of what Barry might have to say about the state of the police department during the election of 1898. Clohessy was finally named Chief in June 1898, shortly after the election. Clohessy faced a department cut to the bone and with very poor moral. Public support for the Police Department reached new lows and the force was seen as a political rather than a law enforcement agency.
Larry Sullivan’s criminal organization in the North End was attracting outlaws from to Portland. “Sure-thing” men such as “Black Kid” Hall and the notorious Ironfoot Johnson gathered in the North End, especially around election time. Fighting between Republican and Democratic factions flourished, and provided many opportunities for criminals to entrench themselves in Portland, along with some violent street fights. Although Clohessy ran the Police Department on a business-like basis, with low morale and diminished forces it was unable to bring the city under control. Graft by patrol officers, especially in the North End, became commonplace. Chief Clohessy took it to the next level, when he closed all of the Chinese lotteries in town for one day; until they made a large contribution to the “Bryan-Mitchell Push” of 1898.
After William Mason was elected Mayor it was clear that Clohessy’s days as Chief were numbered and he left office on June 30, 1899. He went back into the real estate business, developing new neighborhoods in the South End and the Eastside. He remained active in the Democratic Party and was regularly named as a candidate for Police Chief whenever Democrats were strong at the polls. He died of a heart attack in 1921 at the age of 53.