Lawrence Francis O'Brien (July 7, 1917–September 27, 1990) was an American politician active in the Democratic Party. A Massachusetts associate of the Kennedys, he served as Postmaster-General under John F. Kennedy's successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, but left that office to serve as campaign manager for Hubert Humphrey in the presidential election of 1968. After the lost election, O'Brien became Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. In 1972, the burglary of the DNC headquarters, including his office, marked the beginning of the Watergate scandal.

Beginning in 1968, O'Brien had been a paid Washington lobbyist for Howard Hughes.

From 1975 to 1984, O'Brien served as the Commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his tenure as Commissioner, O'Brien oversaw the successful merger of the NBA with the American Basketball Association (ABA), negotiated television contracts with CBS, and saw game attendance increase drastically. In 1984, the NBA Championship Trophy was renamed as the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy in his honor.

External links

• Hall of Fame - Lawrence O'Brien Biography
• O'Brien, Lawrence - Encyclopedia Britannica
• Postmaster General: Lawrence F. O'Brien (1965 - 1968)