Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
MOLONEY, Lawrence
MOLONEY, Lawrence. (Ireland, 1819--Dubuque, IA, 1864). Real estate developer. Moloney accumulated vast quantities of property in the Dubuque area through shrewd investing and profits from a general store he operated on the corner of Third and Main.
The financial boom, which Dubuque experienced in 1855, led Moloney to see the value of his holdings rise to an estimated $250,000. Believing that the future looked full of promise, Moloney commenced an ambitious building program that unfortunately coincided with the start of the financial crash and panic of 1857. Worthless paper money and rapidly sliding land values led Moloney to sell most of his holdings to satisfy claims.