Michael A. Feighan ’27

THE HONORABLE MICHAEL A. FEICHAN died Mar. 19, 1992. Mike was a remarkable Princetonian. He was enjoyably Irish, a devout Roman Catholic, and took politics seriously enough to make it an effective career. He was cordially supported by his wife, n6e Florence J. Mathews, an alumn of Saint Mary of the Woods College (1925). Mike practiced law in Cleveland but found his real vocation by election as a Democrat to the Ohio Legislature in 1936. He represented Cuyahoga County, including Cleveland. Soon he became the Democratic floor leader, directing the party's legislative program.

By 1942 Mike was rising to national fame, by election to the first of 14 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served on the judiciary Committee. There he was a vigilant guard against what he perceived as the totalitarian communist threat against national and individual liberty. He proclaimed, "I have fought to have human rights enjoyed by all people." That interest inspired his concern for the American occupied area of Germany, which he inspected in 1945 with a congressional committee, before visiting Pope Pius XII. In 1960 he attended the International Parliamentary Conference in Tokyo, made a notable speech, and visited classmate Chuji Kabayarna. He advocated making Ellis Island a national monument, and won many awards for political and patriotic service. The full record of his service is preserved in his papers in the Seeley Mudd Library at Princeton. The Class extends its gratitude and thanks, for his personality and his distinguished career, to all members of his family.

The Class of 1927