Born: March 13, 1863
Died: May 30, 1935

Edward Richard O'Malley was born 13 March 1863 near Medina, New York, the son of Michael O'Malley and Bridget (Whalen) O'Malley. While a child, he rarely attended school due to the financial condition of his family. As a teenager, he supported himself by working on a farm and laboring in a stone quarry. When he was aged twenty, doctors told O'Malley to give up hard physical labor due to a congenital heart condition. He then began a program of reading to educate himself prior to entering Cornell Law School at age twenty-three.

While a student at Cornell, O'Malley was selected to assist the law professors working on a revision of New York state law, and he worked as an assistant in the law library. O'Malley was also recognized for his debating skills.

After graduating with the LL.B. degree in 1891, he moved to Buffalo and joined a law firm there. A stranger in the city, he entered local politics to meet people and build his legal practice. Making friends rapidly in Republican circles, he was appointed corporate counsel for the city. In 1901, he was elected to a two-year term in the New York State Assembly.

In 1910, O'Malley ran for Attorney General on the same ticket with gubernatorial candidate Charles Evans Hughes (later Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court). The Hughes-O'Malley ticked won easily. While Attorney General he settled several long-running disputes between the state and corporate interests. After one term as Attorney General, O'Malley was appointed to a state judgeship for several years. As judge or counsel, he preferred to handle civil rather than criminal cases. On the bench, O'Malley was popular with jurors because he was careful to explain the jury's duties without floundering in technicalities. Newspaper reporters liked Judge O'Malley because he rarely held court in camera openly hearing all cases in public.

In 1922, O'Malley ran successfully for the New York Supreme Court and served a ten-year term. He left the bench at the mandatory retirement age of 70. O'Malley credited his success to "Luck and an ability to make friends quickly and a sincerity to sustain these friendships." Edward Richard O'Malley died 30 May 1935 in Buffalo, New York, at age seventy-two and was buried in the Mount Calvary Cemetery, 800 Pine Ridge in Cheektowaga, NY in Section F lot 284. In tribute to O'Malley, former President Theodore Roosevelt said, "Mr. O'Malley is a mighty fine exhibit of good citizenship and has made a good record."

O'Malley's younger brother James (Cornell '01) was "AA" (international presiding officer) in 1902-3, and he also served as a judge on the New York Supreme Court.