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Francis William Durbin

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Francis William Durbin

Birth	:	8 Dec 1891 Kenton, Hardin County, Ohio, USA
Death	:	10 Dec 1949 Lima, Allen County, Ohio, USA
Burial	:	Hillside Cemetery, Torrington, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate	:	41.7871819, -73.1269608
Description	:	Francis Durbin Dies; Was Political Leader - Lima Attorney Gained Fame In Many Fields Francis W. Durbin, Lima attorney and colorful personality in Democratic politics for more than 40 years, died at 12:18 a.m. Saturday in St. Rita's hospital. He was 58 last Thursday. Death was attributed to pneumonia. He was admitted to the hospital three weeks ago, but had been ill for six months with a heart ailment. Regarded as one of the most astute politicians ever to come from the Lima area, Mr. Durbin during his career, was a forceful figure in local, state and national scene. Durbin was the son... Read More	Francis Durbin Dies; Was Political Leader - Lima Attorney Gained Fame In Many Fields Francis W. Durbin, Lima attorney and colorful personality in Democratic politics for more than 40 years, died at 12:18 a.m. Saturday in St. Rita's hospital. He was 58 last Thursday. Death was attributed to pneumonia. He was admitted to the hospital three weeks ago, but had been ill for six months with a heart ailment. Regarded as one of the most astute politicians ever to come from the Lima area, Mr. Durbin during his career, was a forceful figure in local, state and national scene. Durbin was the son of W. W. Durbin, Kenton, who was himself a political prodigy, having been elected state Democratic chairman in 1896 when only 29 years of age. At the national convention that year the elder Durbin made a fight for William Jennings Bryan who later, in 1896, was a guest at the Durbin home in Kenton. Francis, a boy of five, dated his interest in politics from that same year. In 1908 the younger Durbin, then 17, attended his first national Democratic convention, held in Denver, and began a 44-year custom. He was elected to the Ohio Democratic delegation for the last four national conventions, the last one being in 1948. Following in his father's footsteps, he became a powerful figure in Ohio Democratic politics and served as state vice chairman in 1934, 1942, 1944 and 1946. Durbin ran for office only once, when he won the Democratic nomination for congressman-at-large, sharing the Democratic race with Stephen M. Young of Cleveland. Young and George Bender, Republican, were elected. In 1934 Durbin was almost a candidate for Congress from the Fourth district when Rep. Frank L. Kloeb was appointed to the federal bench. Endorsed for the vacancy by the Allen-co Democratic committee, he did not get a chance to run when Gov. Martin L. Davey refused to call a special election to replace Kloeb. Possessed of a remarkable memory, Durbin was fond of relating his experiences in politics at all levels, county, state and national. He often recalled highlights from the 11 national conventions which he attended. Greatest speech ever made at a Democratic convention, in Durbin's opinion, was Franklin D. Roosevelt's at Chicago in 1932, when he received the Democratic nomination which was to lead to the White House. In 1940 he was a leader in the movement which successfully backed Truman for the vice presidential nomination over Henry Wallace. Durbin denounced Wallace as "not a good Democrat," an opinion later shared by many of the party members. Another highlight in the Lima-ite's convention experiences occurred years earlier, in the 1924 convention hall in New York, when the Democrats battled from June 23 to July 9 before finally nominating John W. Davis on the 103rd ballot. During a demonstration for James M. Cox, Durbin was sent by his father to take the Ohio standard into the parade around the hall. He found it guarded by two former Ohio governors, Campbell and Harmon, and failed in the attempt. Laurels for the "fightin'est" national convention he ever attended were given by Durbin to the one in 1912 which ended in the nomination of Woodrow Wilson. In this one his father joined Newton D. Baker, Cleveland mayor, and Rep. Harvey Garber, Greenville, in a split in the Ohio delegation in Wilson's favor. As delegate to the 1936 convention, Durbin was a member of the powerful rules committee which changed the two-thirds requirement for nomination to a simple majority. In 1940 he was secretary of the Ohio delegation and he was a member of the permanent convention committee in 1944. At the last national meeting he again was a member of the rules and order committee. Appointed to the Allen-co Board of Elections in 1942, Durbin was reappointed in 1946 and became chairman last January. He was also vice chairman of the county Democratic central and executive committees several times. Graduated from Notre Dame university on June 16, 1913, Durbin was admitted to the bar 10 days later. He began his practice in Lima more than 35 years ago and from the start was active in Allen-co Democratic affairs. Veteran of scores of political battles inside the party as well as between the Democrats and Republicans, Durbin had the faculty of keeping the personal friendship of his political foes. Mrs. Lena Siferd, Democratic women's leader in the Lima district said, "Francis was the least vindictive man I ever saw. He was always going out of his way to help someone who had fought him sometime in the past." Durbin's reputation as an astute attorney kept pace with his political reputation during the years. He gained nationwide notice when, in 1928 he directed the successful legal fight which led to the release of George Remus from the Lima State hospital. Remus, one time whiskey czar of the early prohibition era, had been committed to the state hospital here after having been acquitted of the murder of his wife "by reason of insanity." The Remus case established a legal precedent on which Durbin, during the following 20 years, secured the release of a hundred other persons from such institutions. Shortly after his admittance to the bar, Mr. Durbin gained state and national prominence in two cases originating in Hardin-co. One was based on the newly-passed Workmen's Compensation act against a Kenton firm which he and the late Timothy S. Hogan, state attorney general, won before the U. S. Supreme court and the other was an adoption case that had great influence on the passage of an Ohio adoption law. Mr. Durbin was a graduate of St. Anthony institute at Kenton and the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind. He was a fourth degree member of the Knights of Columbus, past state president of the Eagles and a member of the Elks Lodge No. 54, Lima. Mr. Durbin was a member of the Allen-co, Ohio State and American Bar-assns and had been admitted to practice in Federal courts, including the U. S. Supreme court. Ernest S. Navarre was associated with him in the law practice and they shared offices in the Dominion-bldg. Mr. Durbin is survived by his widow, Florence, whom he married in 1938; three children by a former wife, Agnes Kelly Durbin, whom he married in 1917. She died 13 years ago. The children are Margaret M., Mary Diane and Sara Elizabeth. Also surviving are his mother, Mrs. Mary L. Durbin, and his brother, Andrew T. Durbin, both of Kenton. The body will be taken to the residence, 1623 Lakewood-av, Saturday afternoon. Solemn requiem high mass will be celebrated Tuesday in St. John's Catholic church at a time to be announced. Burial will be in Gethsemane cemetery. Services are being arranged by the Cantwell funeral home. (published in The Lima News, Saturday, December 10, 1949)

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Francis William Durbin's memorial?
Francis William Durbin's memorial is located at: Hillside Cemetery, Torrington, Litchfield County, USA.
When did Francis William Durbin death?
Francis William Durbin death on 10 Dec 1949 in Lima, Allen County, Ohio, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Francis William Durbin's memorial?
Latitude: 41.7871819
Longitude: -73.1269608

Family Members:

Parent

Spouse

Agnes Kelly Durbin

(1891 - 1937)

Florence Hughes Durbin

(1898 - 1967)

Children

Margaret Durbin Robenalt

(1923 - 1990)

Mary Diane “DD” Durbin Childers-Root

(1928 - 2014)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Hillside Cemetery
Torrington, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7871819, -73.1269608

2. Saint Francis Cemetery
Torrington, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7839012, -73.1149979

3. Trinity Episcopal Church Memorial Garden
Torrington, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8017470, -73.1225010

4. Old Saint Francis Cemetery
Torrington, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8017349, -73.1154404

5. Center Cemetery
Torrington, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8041992, -73.1196976

6. Scoville Cemetery
Harwinton, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7557983, -73.0942001

7. Saint Paul's Lutheran Church Garden of Memories
Torrington, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8212900, -73.0925700

8. West Cemetery
Harwinton, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7719002, -73.0727997

9. West Torrington Cemetery
Torrington, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8241997, -73.1669006

10. North Cemetery
Harwinton, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7738991, -73.0607986

11. Old Cemetery
Harwinton, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7713928, -73.0594864

12. South Cemetery
Harwinton, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7647018, -73.0597000

13. East Cemetery
Litchfield, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7482070, -73.1813800

14. Saint Peter Cemetery
Torrington, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8302383, -73.0727310

15. Torringford Cemetery
Torrington, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8333270, -73.0760070

16. First Congregational Church Memorial Garden
Litchfield, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7479470, -73.1880910

17. Collins Cemetery
Goshen, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8238983, -73.1928024

18. Saint Michaels Parish Memorial Garden
Litchfield, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7460500, -73.1887600

19. Sons of Jacob Cemetery
Torrington, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8474998, -73.0960999

20. West Cemetery
Litchfield, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7383003, -73.1980972

21. Newfield Cemetery
Torrington, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8591995, -73.1367035

22. Saint Anthony Cemetery
Litchfield, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7380409, -73.1982956

23. East Cemetery
Harwinton, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7743988, -73.0269012

24. Fyler Cemetery
Torrington, Litchfield County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8631706, -73.1230774