Peter (Pete) F. Flaherty was born on June 25, 1924 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, the son of Irish immigrants. He graduated from Allegheny High School and then entered the Army Air Corps in the midst of World War II. After serving as a navigator in the Pacific through the end of the war, Flaherty returned home and attended school first at Mount Mercy College (now Carlow University) and then Notre Dame Law School, graduating with his J.D. in 1951. Flaherty returned to Pittsburgh to practice law, securing a place as Assistant District Attorney of Allegheny County from 1957 to 1964. During this time, he became interested in politics, and was elected to be a City of Pittsburgh Councilman in 1966.
Flaherty, critical of incumbent mayor Joseph Barr, ran for mayor in 1969 under the slogan "Nobody's Boy," a reflection of the estrangement he felt from the Democratic Party organization as a whole. Popularly lauded for his independence, charisma, and drive, Flaherty won with more than a 4 to 1 margin. During his first term, his work focused on trimming the city payroll and encouraging fiscal responsibility. Flaherty gained a reputation as being anti-big business, as illustrated by his protracted battle to stop the Port Authority from implementing the expensive Skybus program, and also came into conflict with the local Teamster Union. However, Flaherty remained popular and won a second term in 1973.
After his second term as Pittsburgh mayor, Flaherty tried to translate his local success to the 1974 U. S. Senate race, in which he was defeated. He was appointed Deputy Attorney General of the United States in 1977 under the Jimmy Carter administration. He stayed only a year in Washington, and returned to Pennsylvania to run for governor in the 1978 election, which he lost to Dick Thornburgh. In 1980, he lost a second bid for the U.S. Senate to Arlen Specter. In 1983, he returned from privately practicing law to run in the race for Allegheny County Commissioner, which he won. He served in that position until his retirement in 1996, where he counted among his successes the initiation of several building projects including new terminals at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Flaherty continued to reside in Pittsburgh until his death from cancer in 2005.
The Peter F. Flaherty Papers focus on Flaherty's political career, mainly on his two terms as mayor of Pittsburgh and his unsuccessful bid for Pennsylvania governor in 1978. The collection contains a variety of material including honors and awards presented to Flaherty; biographical and autobiographical information; campaign materials for both mayoral and gubernatorial races; a contributors' list for the 1983 County Commissioner campaign; correspondence and public statements; newspaper clippings; a scrapbook from his 1969 campaign for mayor; a Survey of Voter Attitudes for the 1980 U.S. Senate bid; and a collection of invitations to White House events. The focus of the collection is on his campaigns, primarily towards the beginning of his political career.
No restrictions.
Peter F. Flaherty Papers, 1964-1995, AIS.1999.19, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Peter F. Flaherty Papers, 1964-1995, AIS.1999.19, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Gift of Peter F. Flaherty in March 2000.
Dick Thornburgh Papers, 1932- , AIS.1998.30, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System