The Ford Family

Born	April 9, 1882 Cleveland
Died	September 16, 1946 Cleveland Heights
Father	William Thomas Sweeny
Mother	Mary Sweeny
Siblings	John Leo Sweeny Catherine Grady Nora Sweeny William Daniel Sweeny Edward Joseph Sweeny Vera Grane

Bio
Joseph is the firstborn child of Mary and William Sweeny and oldest brother of Vera Sweeny Grane, making him Susie's Grand Uncle. He died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 65. He was 12 years older than my grandmother, the last born in the clan.

Joe was born on Easter Sunday in Cleveland on the 9th of March in 1882. The family lived in what was called 'The Angle District' - a section west of the Cuyahoga River bordered by the riverbed, Division Street, and West 25th Street across from Whiskey Island. This was the Irish neighborhood where many shipbuilding immigrants from Ireland gathered, and the center of the neighborhood was St. Malachi. At one time this church claimed to have 2000 Irish members on its books.

Joe attended St. Malachi's catholic school, and his first job was as a crewman on board a Lake vessel. Unlike his father, he did not like working around ships and came home to attend "business school" and by the age of 19 he was working as a Bookkeeper.

When he was just 20 years old Joe married his lifetime wife, Edith Shinner, on June 17, 1902 and moved to the east side of Cleveland. I imagine her family was from there, as census records of 1910 show Joe and Edith are living in her brother's house on East 83rd Street. (Along with their 2 young children, her brother's family and sisters!) They continue having children (6 in all) while Joe tries different positions, such as auditor for a construction firm, sales for an auto manufacturer, and finally a public accountant. He remained in business for himself until 1928, when he met the head of the Republican Party in Cleveland who helped him get appointed as the Budget Commissioner for Cuyahoga County.

Joe had registered for the draft during WWI and was listed as tall and stout with brown eyes and hair. Unlike his slender brothers, Joe inherits the "Sweeny fat gene" (as many of us Sweeny descendants are likewise cursed). His portly figured earned him the nickname "Big Joe" by Cleveland City Council members, who admired and highly respected him. He appears to have been liked by many, as upon his death the Governor of Ohio was quoted as saying, "one of the kindest and finest men he knew".

In his 15 years as Budget Commissioner, Joe did great things. He reduced Cleveland area debt by over 14 million dollars, the lowest it had been in 20 years. Working with the school board and County Officials he reduced the city's tax rate by 30%. He started the Cuyahoga County Society for Crippled Children. With his passion for helping the County's poor and orphaned children, he organized the County Welfare Board and then later Chaired it. (He also later resigned when the board ignored the problem of day care!) It is no wonder that in 1941 the Democratic Mayor of Cleveland tapped this Republican for the position of Finance Director.

As Finance Director, Joe did even more great work. He helped organize Citizen Defense and received a Distinguished Sons award for his effort. He built a 15 million dollar fund for post war improvements outside of tax payer dollars. He invested in War Bonds ($18.5 million) which brought the city's credit rating to the highest classification ever by an American Municipality. He took financial control of the Cleveland Transit Authority, reducing its debt of 17.5 million dollars in 1942 to to 6.6 million by September of 1946. It is no wonder he was considered second only to the Mayor in importance and Influence.

Joe also found time for other activities. No, not golf or fancy dinners with friends. He served as:
1. Chairman of the Board for St. Anne's Hospital
2. Director of Catholic Charities
3. Committee Member for the Cleveland Welfare Federation
4. Director of the Community Fund
5. Board Member for the Red Cross
5. Board Member for Cleveland Animal Protective League

He was also a family man. Upon his death he left a wife of 44 years. His oldest son, Joseph, was a Cleveland Attorney. His second child was a happily married Mrs. Edith Mulcahy. His other two daughters followed him into public service. Dorothy was a Catholic Charities Social Worker and Jane a Medical Social Worker. His youngest son John was a student at John Carroll University at the time of his death.

The Mayor of Cleveland provided a great summary of the life of Joseph Thomas Sweeny: "He was a truly great man who sacrificed his life to public service".