James Dooley

Who is James Dooley?

Judge James Dooley was a leading sports figure in Rhode Island. He was a graduate of Georgetown Law School and became part owner of the Providence Steam Roller of the National Football League from 1916 until 1933 when the team folded.

The 1928 Providence Steam Rollers won the NFL Championship with an 8-1-2 record.

He was also a founder of the Providence Reds of the Canadian-American Hockey League and also the one time President of the CAHL. He became a judge when he succeeded Willis Knowles, who was a murder victim, as judge of the Rhode Island Eighth District Court in 1916. He served in that post for a year before resigning. However, the title "Judge" stuck to him for the rest of his life.

Judge Dooley, as a state legislator, also fought to win approval for pari-mutual horse race gambling in Rhode Island. On May 18 of 1934, his bill passed the state legislature and, by a 4-1 margin in a special election, horse race gambling became legal in Rhode Island. The purchase of the What Cheer Airport, on the Pawtucket/ East Providence, Rhode Island line, was arranged for $150,000.

On August 1, of 1934, 74 days after the state referendum, the famed Narragansett Park opened for horse racing. Walter E. O'Hara, a Fall River industrialist, formed the Narragansett Racing Association and was named president and manager. Judge Dooley was appointed Racing Secretary. He later became President of the association in 1938, succeeding O'Hara, and held onto the post until his death in 1960. Dooley's son, J. Alden Dooley, took over as President after his father's death and ran the track until 1975. His son, James A. Dooley, Jr., took over until Narragansett Park closed in September 1978.