Brian O'Dwyer

He will be the third O'Dwyer honored as Grand Marshal, following in the footsteps of his Uncle William O'Dwyer who held the title in 1938 and his father, Paul O'Dwyer, who did the same in 1974.

O'Dwyer has spent virtually his entire legal career at O'Dwyer & Bernstien, LLP, a law firm founded by his late father, Paul O'Dwyer, which concentrates on personal injury, immigration rights, labor relations, disability rights and general commercial litigation.

He serves as the firm's senior partner.

He has been cited as a New York Super Lawyer since its inception, which is a peer ranking is given to only the top 5% of the profession as surveyed by the Bar of New York City.

He has also been awarded a rating for 25 years that puts him at the very top of his profession.

He serves as General Counsel of the US Airline Pilots Association, and represents pilots throughout the United States.

O'Dwyer has been cited as winning the highest personal injury award – $61 million – in the United States.

As a former teacher of Spanish at the George Washington University and Malcolm King College, O'Dwyer has been active in education.

He serves as Treasurer of the City University of New York Law School Foundation and was a recipient of the Dean's Medal.

He also serves as a Co-Chair of the board of the Graduate School of Political Management of the George Washington University.

On June 3, 2022, Brian O'Dwyer was appointed to the Gaming Commission and named Chair by Governor Kathy Hochul.

Additionally, on September 27, 2022, Brian O'Dwyer was additionally made Chair of the NYS Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund, and the Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding and Development Fund.

Both of these boards are housed under the NYS Gaming Commission.

In October 2022, O'Dwyer named Vicki Been, Stuart Rabinowitz, and Quenia Abreu to the Gaming Facilities Location Board.

O'Dwyer is known as a Democratic Party "stalwart."

He considers the Democratic Party the party for the "poor and dispossessed."

Immigration is high on O'Dwyer's list for lobbying.

He has received special citations from Governor Mario Cuomo at the New York City Council for his work with immigrant groups.

Brian O'Dwyer (born October 10, 1945) is an American lawyer, activist, and active member of the Irish-American community.

O'Dwyer currently serves as the Chair of the New York State Gaming Commission and a member of the Commission on Presidential Scholars.

Brian spent most of his legal career admission labor organizations and supporting the rights of workers and immigrants.

O'Dwyer's uncle,William O'Dwyer, was Mayor of New York City from 1945-50.

O'Dwyer was born on October 10, 1945, in the Upper West Side of New York City.

He attended the High School of Music and Art (which later became Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts).

In 1961 following the election of John F. Kennedy he was one of the founders of the High School Democratic Association, with members drawn from most of New York's top high schools.

He is the son of prominent New York lawyer Paul O'Dwyer, and nephew of Mayor William O'Dwyer.

He is married to the former Marianna Page MacWilliam, the former Associate Vice Chancellor of the State University of New York, with whom he has two children, Brendan Keith O'Dwyer and Kathleen Page O'Dwyer, and four grandchildren: Paul Ellis O'Dwyer, Patrick Trescott O'Dwyer, Reilly Page O'Dwyer, and Hailey Grace O'Dwyer.

Brian O'Dwyer received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the George Washington University in Spanish-American Literature and his Master of Arts degree in Spanish-Language Literature from Middlebury College in Madrid.

Before becoming a lawyer, he studied Spanish at the National University of Mexico.

He then received his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University and his Masters in Law from the George Washington University.

O'Dwyer's father was President of the City Council from 1973-77, Paul O'Dwyer.

In 2000, he received recognition from the Catholic Church by being named as a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre, a papal knighthood conferred by Cardinal Edward Egan and has also been conferred The Child of Peace Award by the Catholic Home Bureau.

He was honored in 2011 by its members as "Man of the Year."

In July 2013 he was an honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Dublin City University.

He has received an honorary doctorate of philosophy from Dublin City University in 2013, which is the highest award given by the University.

It was announced in the fall of 2018 that O'Dwyer would be honored by the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee by serving as the parade's Grand Marshal in 2019.

Brian has long served as an advocate for the Irish-American community in New York, focusing on immigration rights and reform for Irish citizens immigrating into the United States as well as supporting investment and development throughout Ireland, particularly focused on his family's original home of County Mayo.

On August 16, 2019, his graduate alma mater, Middlebury College, conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (hc) at its Language Schools commencement.

O'Dwyer is a member of the Sigma Delta Pi National Spanish Honorary Society, as well as a member and past International President of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

In October 2015 O'Dwyer was awarded the Seán MacBride Humanitarian Award by the Ancient Order of Hibernians for his work "To memorialize the human rights contributions made by Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Sean MacBride and to recognize the efforts of others who make similar contributions in the cause of peace, justice, and the economic well-being of the Irish people…" On August 16, 2019, Middlebury College conferred an honorary doctorate of humane letters.