Representative Daniel Francis Minahan

Daniel Francis Minahan (August 8, 1877, Springfield, Ohio – April 29, 1947) was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey who served as a United States Representative for New Jersey’s 6th congressional district. He represented the district in the United States Congress from 1919 to 1921 and again from 1923 to 1925, contributing to the legislative process during two nonconsecutive terms in office. His service in Congress took place during a significant period in American history, marked by the aftermath of World War I and the early years of the 1920s.

Born in Springfield, Ohio, Minahan spent his early years in the American Midwest before establishing his career and political base in New Jersey. Details of his childhood and family background are sparsely documented in public records, but his later prominence in New Jersey politics indicates a successful transition from his Ohio origins to an active role in the civic life of his adopted state. His move to New Jersey placed him in a rapidly industrializing region whose urban centers and growing immigrant populations would shape the issues he confronted as a public official.

Minahan’s formal education and early professional pursuits are not extensively recorded in surviving biographical summaries, but by the late 1910s he had become sufficiently established in New Jersey public life to seek and win federal office. As a member of the Democratic Party, he aligned himself with the concerns of working- and middle-class constituents in a state that was often politically competitive between Democrats and Republicans. His rise to Congress reflected both his personal political skills and the broader currents of Democratic strength in certain New Jersey districts during this era.

Elected to the Sixty-sixth Congress, Minahan entered the House of Representatives on March 4, 1919, representing New Jersey’s 6th congressional district. His first term coincided with the immediate post–World War I period, when Congress addressed issues such as demobilization, veterans’ affairs, economic adjustment, and debates over America’s role in international affairs. As a member of the House, Minahan participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents, contributing to deliberations on national policy at a time of social and economic transition. His initial service concluded on March 3, 1921, at the end of the Sixty-sixth Congress.

After leaving office following his first term, Minahan remained active in politics and public affairs, and he successfully returned to Congress two years later. He was again elected as a Democrat from New Jersey’s 6th district to the Sixty-eighth Congress, serving from March 4, 1923, to March 3, 1925. During this second term, he continued to represent the concerns of his district amid the early years of the Roaring Twenties, a period characterized by economic growth, industrial expansion, and evolving social norms. Across both of his terms, Minahan’s work in the House reflected the responsibilities of a district representative navigating the shifting priorities of postwar America.

Following the conclusion of his second term in 1925, Minahan did not return to Congress. While detailed records of his subsequent professional activities are limited, his earlier service in the House placed him among the notable Democratic figures in New Jersey during the first quarter of the twentieth century. He remained identified with the party and with the civic life of the state that had sent him to Washington.

Daniel Francis Minahan died on April 29, 1947. His career as a two-term Democratic Representative from New Jersey’s 6th congressional district, spanning service from 1919 to 1921 and from 1923 to 1925, situated him within a transformative era in American political and social history. Through his participation in the legislative process and representation of his constituents, he contributed to the work of the national government during a time of significant change.