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Personal Sketches of Marine Men T. V. O'Connor, Chairman, United States Shipping Board By L. M. Lamm T SEEMS clear that if our merchant marine is to be completely transferred and adequately maintained in the hands of private American capital in the immediate future instead of ultimately, then some form of government aid is necessary to enable the American owner to overcome the advantages gained by the foreign owner through his long training and entrenchment during the many years that America was off the oceans.” That in a nutshell is the opinion of T. V. O’Connor, who has been chairman of the United States shipping board since February, 1924. In addition, he believes, that there is a somewhat higher capital charge burdening the Amer- ican owner due to higher construction costs in this country. Comparatively little seems to be knwon about the man of these ideas who has been the Great Lakes representative on the shipping board since 1921 and its chairman for the past three years. He was born in 1870 in Toronto, Canada, moving two years later to Buffalo with his parents where he attended the public schools. At an early age he was a fireman on a harbor tug in the port of Buffalo, later obtaining a license as marine engineer in which capacity he served until he obtained a license as master. He filled this latter position until 1906 when he was elected president of the Licensed Tugmen’s Protective as- sociation of the Great Lakes, which position he held for a couple of years when he became president of the Inter- national Longshormen’s association, remaining head of this latter association until June, 1921 when he was ap- pointed a member of the shipping board by President Harding. During the many years Mr. O’Connor was connected IS sympathies are broad. He is a keen student of human nature and knows thoroughly the psychology of both employe and employer. IRECT and definite in his views, with strong convictions, he never- theless can bring discordant elements into harmony for the common welfare. NITIATIVE and action has marked his conduct of shipping board af- fairs with the single purpose of build- ing up a merchant marine. with the International Longshormen’s association he had an opportunity of becoming very familiar with all the phases of work incident to physical operation of vessels which experience has been invaluable to him as a member of the shipping board. In 1921, Mr. O’Connor was chosen by Nathan L. Miller, governor of New York as one of the members of the state industrial board which position he only held for a few months when he was appointed vice chairman of the shpping board. He was originally appointed chair- man of the board in 1924 and in June, 1926 he was reappointed commissioner and chairman for another six- year period. The bureau of operations of the board has remained under him since he was originally appointed. Mr. O’Connor has resided in Buffalo practically all of his life and he still holds licenses as marine engineer and master. During the World war he served as a member of the national adjustment commission, which was a board established for the fixing of wages and conditions in the longshore industry. As chairman of the board one of Mr. O’Connor’s achievements was the sale of 199 ships to Henry Ford for scrapping purposes. This sale was brought about at a time when there was extreme criticism on account of the great amount of surplus tonnage which was in no way likely to be used. Those in Washington in a position to know state that Mr. Ford became interested in bidding through rep- resentation of the chairman that the steel in the vessels might be salvaged and used for automobiles. Mr. O’Connor presented a proposal to the board that about 200 vessels be scrapped and, accordingly, advertise- ments were issued for competitive bidding for the ships. 70 MARINE REVIEW-—April, 1927