Encyclopedia Dubuque
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MAHONY, Dennis
MAHONY, Dennis. (Ross County, Ireland, Jan. 20, 1821-Dubuque, IA, Nov. 5, 1879). Mahony settled in Dubuque in 1843. In addition to practicing law, he was active in early education in Iowa and was active in publishing. After serving in several minor appointive positions, he took a seat in the Iowa General Assembly in 1848. Mahony came to symbolize the opposition in Dubuque to President Abraham Lincoln's approach to the South. He was among the nation's most die-hard COPPERHEADS. In 1849 he went to work as the editor of the Miner's Express.
With several associates, Mahony established the Dubuque Herald in 1852. He sold his interest three years later, and reentered the state legislature in 1858. In 1860 repurchased the paper. He was, by this time, solidly a part of the Southern faction of the Democratic Party. During this time, Mahony served on the city's first board of education. He declined nomination for MAYOR because he felt there were too many foreigners on the ticket.
During the first year of the CIVIL WAR, Mahony became increasingly harsh in his attacks on President Lincoln and the North. On August 14, 1862, he was arrested at his home in Dubuque on charges of treason and jailed in the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C. Realizing that the South would not win the struggle, he swore allegiance to the federal government and the Constitution in November 1862, after which he was released on November 11, 1862 and ran for the U. S. Congress. He was defeated by William Boyd ALLISON.
In January 1863 the Chicago Tribune called Mahony "the Dubuque Traitor; the spawn of a felon's cell." Upon his return to Dubuque, Mahony’s writings reflected a softening attitude until his wartime experiences faded. He did leave his job at the Herald in August, 1863. He served a four-year term as county sheriff before moving to New York.
Mahony wrote Prisoner of the State (1863) and while living in New York The Four Acts of Despotism. He returned to Dubuque, purchased the Dubuque Telegraph, and worked as the editor until his death.
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Source:
Hudson, David; Bergman, Marvin; Horton, Loren. The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2008
Oldt, Franklin T. The History of Dubuque County. Chicago: Goodspeed Historical Association, p. 294, 299