Foster Furcolo

John Foster Furcolo
60th Governor of Massachusetts
In office January 3, 1957 – January 5, 1961
Lieutenant	Robert F. Murphy
Preceded by	Christian Herter
Succeeded by	John A. Volpe
Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts
In office July 5, 1952 – January 1955
Preceded by	John E. Hurley
Succeeded by	John Francis Kennedy
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1949 – September 30, 1952
Preceded by	Charles R. Clason
Succeeded by	Edward Boland
Personal details
Born	July 29, 1911(1911-07-29) New Haven, Connecticut
Died	July 5, 1995(1995-07-05) (aged 83) Cambridge, Massachusetts
Political party	Democratic

John Foster Furcolo (July 29, 1911  – July 5, 1995) was a member of the Democratic Party who served as the 60th Governor of Massachusetts, a member of the United States House of Representatives, and in other government offices in Massachusetts. He was the first Italian-American governor of Massachusetts.

Life and career

Furcolo was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He graduated from Yale University in 1933 and Yale Law School in 1936. In 1937 he moved to Springfield, Massachusetts and opened a law practice. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II from 1942 to 1946. In 1948, he was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives, and served there from January 3, 1949 to September 30, 1952.

On July 5, 1952, Furcolo was appointed by Governor Paul A. Dever to be the Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to replace John E. Hurley, who had resigned to accept a position as clerk of the Boston Municipal Court. In November 1952, Furcolo was elected in his own right to the Treasurer's office; he held that position until January 1955. In 1954, he ran for the U.S. Senate, but was narrowly defeated by incumbent Republican Leverett A. Saltonstall. Furcolo was elected Governor of Massachusetts in 1956 and re-elected in 1958, serving from 1957 to 1961.

During his administration, he established a network of regional community colleges throughout the Commonwealth and fought on behalf of increased state worker's salaries, workman's compensation and unemployment benefits.

In 1960, he again ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate, then returned to private law practice. After leaving office, he was indicted on charges of arranging for a bribe to be paid to members of the Massachusetts executive council. The indictment was eventually dismissed. He worked for several years as an assistant district attorney for the Northern District of Massachusetts. In 1969, he served on the U.S. Attorney General's Advisory Committee on Narcotics, and as an administrative law judge with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission from 1975 to 1989. He is the author of several books, including Massacre At Katyn, an account of the Soviet massacre of Polish officers in the Katyn Forest during World War II, which he learned of during his tenure on a congressional committee investigating the atrocities.

Furcolo died of heart failure at the age of 83 on July 5, 1995 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is buried in Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts.

References

• The Boston Globe Dever Picks Furcolo As Treasurer, The Boston Globe, (July 5, 1952).
• Van Gelder, Lawrence.: Foster Furcolo, 83, Governor, Legislator and Sometime Writer, New York Times (July 6, 1995).

External links

• Foster Furcolo at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Retrieved on 2008-01-24
• Official Commonwealth of Massachusetts Governor Biography
• Foster Furcolo at Find a Grave
• van Gelder, Laurence (July 6, 1995). "Foster Furcolo, 83, Governor, Legislator and Sometime Writer". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/06/obituaries/foster-furcolo-83-governor-legislator-and-sometime-writer.html. 

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Charles R. Clason	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district January 3, 1949 – September 30, 1952	Succeeded by Edward Boland
Political offices
Preceded by John E. Hurley	Treasurer and Receiver General of Massachusetts July 5, 1952 – January 1955	Succeeded by John Francis Kennedy
Preceded by Christian Herter	Governor of Massachusetts January 3, 1957 – January 5, 1961	Succeeded by John A. Volpe