Paul Cantwell

Paul F. Cantwell (September 15, 1927 - June 30, 1997)[2] was an American politician who served as a member of the Indiana Senate, as well as the Indianapolis City-County Council, and before that, the Marion County Council. He was a Democrat

Paul Cantwell
Member of the Indiana House of Representatives from the 97th district
In office
November 4, 1992 – November 9, 1994[1]
Succeeded byIrene Heffley
Member of the Indianapolis City-County Council
In office
1970–1979
Member of the Marion County Council
In office
1966–1970
Personal details
Born(1927-09-15)September 15, 1927
DiedJune 30, 1997(1997-06-30) (aged 69)
RelativesMaria Cantwell (daughter)

He unsuccessfully ran as the Democratic Party nominee for mayor of Indianapolis in the 1979 election.

Early life

Cantwell was born September 15, 1927.[2]

Cantwell's mother was active in Indianapolis politics.[3]

Cantwell began working in politics as a political volunteer at the age of fifteen.[3]

Adult career and life

Cantwell worked as a masonry contractor, and was a proud advocate for trade unions.[3]

In 1965, he was hired to work as an administrative assistant to United States congressman Andrew Jacobs Jr. in Washington, D.C..[3] He lived with his family in D.C. for a year.[3]

Beginning in 1966, Cantwell served as a Marion County Commissioner.[3] During part of his tenure on the board, he also served on the Metropolitan Thoroughfare Commission.[4] Cantwell was standing with Robert F. Kennedy when he gave his 1968 speech on the assassination of Martin Luther King.[3]

Cantwell began serving on the Indianapolis City-County Council after the city-county consolidation that established the Unigov in 1970.[3] During part of his time in this body, he served as the minority leader.[5][6][7]

In 1975, Cantwell was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit arguing that the legislation creating Unigov denied certain voters the equal protection guaranteed in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The lawsuit, in part, argued that that this right was violated by the fact that the Unigov legilsation allowed four city-county councilmen elected at-large from the entire Unigov to sit on councils for special police and fire department districts which only served part of the Unigov area.[8][9] The lawsuit sought to have the four at-large council members barred from these boards, which would have had the consequence, with the composition of the council in 1975, of giving Democrats control of these boards.[9] The lawsuit was unsuccessful, with the plaintiffs losing the case in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.[8]

Cantwell resigned from the city council to focus on his campaign as the Democratic nominee in the 1979 Indianapolis mayoral election, which ultimately saw him lose to incumbent Republican William H. Hudnut III in what was reported to have been the greatest margin of defeat for a Democratic candidate in an Indianapolis mayoral election in 150 years.[3] The campaign saw Cantwell struggle to raise funds while running against the formidable frontrunner Hadnut, while Hadnut was able to spend a considerable amount on his own campaign.[10] Additionally at the time of the election, Cantwell's son Danny was awaiting trial for murder (he would be acquitted in November 1980).[3] Cantwell argued that the charges were political, and were retribution for his investigations of police corruption.[3]

In 1992, Cantwell was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives district 97.[3][1] On the same night he won this election, his daughter Maria, by then already a member of the Washington House of Representatives, won election to the United States House of Representatives.[3]

In 1994, Cantwell lost reelection, losing to Irene Heffley by 4,782 votes to 4,037 votes amid the year of the "Republican Revolution".[3][11][12]`His daughter also lost her congressional seat that night (she would later, in 2000 be elected to the United States Senate).[3]

In 1997, Cantwell died of lung cancer at the age of 69.[3]

References
  1. "Indiana House (District 97)". Capitol & Washington. March 3, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  2. "Paul F Cantwell". Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  3. Mundy, Alicia (July 28, 2006). "Father introduced Cantwell to excitement, pitfalls of politics". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  4. "Indianapolis Recorder 22 April 1967 — Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana's Digital Historic Newspaper Program". newspapers.library.in.gov. Indianapolis Recorder. April 22, 1967. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  5. "JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE City-County Council OF INDIANAPOLIS-MARION COUNTY State of Indiana FROM JANUARY 1, 1978 to DECEMBER 31, 1978". City-County Council of Indianapolis-Marion County. 1979. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  6. "JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE City-County Council OF INDIANAPOLIS-MARION COUNTY State of Indiana FROM JANUARY 1, 1977 to DECEMBER 31, 1977". City-County Council of Indianapolis-Marion County. 1978. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  7. Owen, C. James; Willbern, York (December 31, 1985). "7. Reorganization: Promise and Performance". University of California Press. doi:10.1525/9780520317024-010.xml. Retrieved January 3, 2021. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. "Paul Cantwell, Glen Howard and Rozelle Boyd, Plaintiffs-appellees, v. William H. Hudnut, Iii, Mayor of Indianapolis, Joycebrinkman, George Tintera, Alan Kimbell and Paulahart, Members of the Indianapolis-marioncounty City-county Council,defendants-appellants.paul Cantwell, Glen Howard and Rozelle Boyd,plaintiffs-cross-appellants, v. William H. Hudnut, Iii, Mayor of Indianapolis, Joycebrinkman, George Tintera, Alan Kimbell and Paulahart, Members of the Indianapolis-marioncounty City-county Council,defendants-cross-appellees, 566 F.2d 30 (7th Cir. 1977)". Justia Law. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  9. Demos Seek Change in Selection of Safety Director (December 20, 1975). "Demos Seek Change in Selection of Safety Director". newspapers.library.in.gov. Indianapolis Recorder. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  10. Owen, James; York, Wilbern. Governing Metropolitan Indianapolis: The Politics of Unigov. University of California Press. p. 175.
  11. "Bill Schreiber's Bohemian Election" (PDF). The Howey Political Report. 1 (17): 3. December 1, 1994. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  12. "1994 Indiana Election Results" (PDF). The Howey Political Report. 1 (17): 3. December 1, 1994. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
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