Pat Malloy

Pat Malloy (1933)

Early History: Patrick Joseph Malloy, Sr. was born in Salix, Iowa in 1885.  When he was 14, a tornado devastated his family’s farm and killed his father, mother, two brothers, and a sister.  He attended Notre Dame, where he received his law degree in 1907 and served as class president.  He moved to Oklahoma (shortly after its statehood) and served for two terms as Tulsa County’s prosecutor, elected on the Democratic ticket.  He apparently became known as one of the great orators and prosecutors in his region.  In 1914, he unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Congress.  He then became general counsel for the Constantin Refining Co. and later served as its president.  He became a director of the Western Refiners Association and later its president as well.  Mr. Malloy was an early supporter of Franklin Roosevelt in his first presidential race in 1932.

Tenure: In 1933, Mr. Malloy was appointed as the Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division.  Within four months, however, Mr. Malloy was at the center of a controversy.  He appeared at a meeting of the American Bar Association and told the audience that the problems of racketeering and kidnapping were so significant that the country should federalize its police forces—the ABA members protested.  Mr. Malloy told the crowd that Attorney General Homer Cummings supported this proposal.  The Attorney General disputed this and appeared before the ABA following day to make clear that he only wanted a small federal squad of trained investigators who would be loaned to the states upon local request.

Later Career: Soon thereafter, Mr. Malloy resigned from the Department and returned to the oil business.  Mr. Malloy was in El Dorado, Arkansas, where he had oil producing properties, when he died of a heart attack in 1934.  He was survived by his wife and three children.

This material is based on the review of a variety of historical sources and its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. If you have any corrections or additional information about this individual or about the history of the Criminal Division, please contact the Division.