Fitzgerald, Thomas Francis
Dates
- Existence: 1900-1973
Biographical Note
Thomas Francis Fitzgerald was born on January 29th, 1900, in Troy, New York, the son of Gerald B. and Helen Heelan Fitzgerald. He attended St. Peter’s Academy and then later, the La Salle Institute, an all-male college preparatory school. Fitzgerald served in World War I before coming to Rensselaer, though his rank and service duration is not clear. He entered Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1917, and graduated in 1921 with a degree in mechanical engineering. During his time at Rensselaer, he worked part time as an auto mechanic and fireman, and also taught machine shop work at Rensselaer and the Troy Public High School. He had a wide array of interests, including politics and sports, such as baseball, football, hunting, swimming, boxing, and bowling. After he graduated, he accepted a job as an instructor in mechanical engineering at Rensselaer, a position he held from 1921 to 1928. In 1924, he began a series of consulting jobs, including the testing of fuels and furnaces. In 1928, he left his instructors position to become an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Rensselaer, where he worked until 1938. From 1932 to 1935, he was also an A.S.M.E. Honorary Chairman at Rensselaer. In 1938, he became the Commissioner of Public Work for the City of Troy, and was also a member of the State Defense Council, where he was in charge of highway repairs. He held this position until 1943. In 1944, he worked as an engineering consultant to the War Manpower Commission in the northeastern section of New York. During the early 1940’s, he was the city chairman for the Democratic Party of Troy. From 1945 to 1956, he worked as the Assistant Manager of the Veterans Administration Albany regional office in the Watervliet Arsenal, where he acted as chief administrator for twenty counties in northeastern New York. In 1956, he became the Chief Engineer of the New York State Department of Public Works. During 1970, he retired as a consulting engineer to the Albany Housing Authority. He passed away at the age of 73, at the Samaritan Hospital in Troy.