John A. Volpe
John A. Volpe | |
---|---|
![]() Volpe as Transportation Secretary | |
United States Ambassador to Italy | |
In office March 6, 1973 – January 24, 1977 | |
President | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter |
Preceded by | Graham Martin |
Succeeded by | Richard N. Gardner |
2nd United States Secretary of Transportation | |
In office January 22, 1969 – February 2, 1973 | |
President | Richard M. Nixon |
Preceded by | Alan S. Boyd |
Succeeded by | Claude S. Brinegar |
61st and 63rd Governor of Massachusetts | |
In office January 7, 1965 – January 22, 1969 | |
Lieutenant | Elliot Richardson Francis W. Sargent |
Preceded by | Endicott Peabody |
Succeeded by | Francis W. Sargent |
In office January 5, 1961 – January 3, 1963 | |
Lieutenant | Edward F. McLaughlin, Jr. |
Preceded by | Foster Furcolo |
Succeeded by | Endicott Peabody |
Personal details | |
Born | John Anthony Volpe December 8, 1908 Wakefield, Massachusetts, United States |
Died | November 11, 1994 Nahant, Massachusetts, United States | (aged 85)
Resting place | Forest Glade Cemetery, Wakefield, Massachusetts, United States |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Jennie Volpe |
Children | John Anthony Volpe Jr. Loretta Jean Volpe Rotondi |
Residence(s) | Wakefield, Massachusetts, United States |
Alma mater | Wentworth Institute of Technology |
Profession | Politician |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1942-1946 |
Unit | Seabees Instructor |
John Anthony Volpe (/ˈvoʊlpi/; December 8, 1908 – November 11, 1994) was an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as the 61st and 63rd Governor of Massachusetts from 1961 to 1963 and 1965 to 1969, as the United States Secretary of Transportation from 1969 to 1973 and as the United States Ambassador to Italy from 1973 to 1977.[1]
Early life and education
Volpe was born on December 8, 1908 in Wakefield, Massachusetts.[2] He was the son of Italian immigrants Vito and Filomena (Benedetto), who had come from Abruzzo to Boston's North End on the SS Canopic in 1905; his father was in the construction business.
Volpe attended the Wentworth Institute (later known as the Wentworth Institute of Technology) in Boston where he majored in architectural construction and entered the construction business, building his own firm in 1930.[3] On June 18, 1934, Volpe married the former Giovaninna Benedetto known as Jennie, with whom he had two children, (John Anthony, Jr. and Loretta Jean Volpe Rotondi).
During World War II, he volunteered to serve stateside as a United States Navy Seabees training officer.
Early career
In 1953, he was appointed as the Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Works, and in 1956 he was appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as the first administrator of the Federal Highway Administration.
Governor of Massachusetts
In 1960, Volpe was elected Governor of Massachusetts, defeating Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Joseph D. Ward. He served as Governor from 1961 to 1963. In 1962, Volpe was narrowly defeated for reelection, losing to former Governor's Councillor Endicott Peabody. Peabody had been a close friend of then President John F. Kennedy. In 1964, Volpe ran again for Governor and was able to capitalize on fratricide within the Massachusetts Democratic Party when then Lieutenant Governor Francis X. Bellotti defeated Governor Endicott Peabody for the Democratic nomination for Governor. Despite the Democratic landslide nationwide that year, Volpe was able to defeat Bellotti in a close race. In 1966, Volpe was elected to the first four-year term in Massachusetts history, defeating former Massachusetts Attorney General Edward J. McCormack, Jr.
During his administration, Governor Volpe signed legislation to ban racial imbalances in education, reorganize the state's Board of Education, liberalize birth control laws, and increase public housing for low-income families. Governor Volpe also raised revenues by his long, and ultimately successful, fight to institute a three percent state sales tax. He served as President of the National Governors Association from 1967 to 1968.
Presidential campaign
In 1968, Governor Volpe ran unsuccessfully as a "Favorite son" candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. He was defeated in the state presidential primary by a spontaneous write-in campaign for New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller. It was widely believed that he was hoping to be chosen as his party's candidate for Vice President.
Secretary of Transportation
Following the election of President Richard M. Nixon, Volpe was named Secretary of Transportation. He resigned as Governor to assume the cabinet post, and served in that position from 1969 to 1973. During his administration as Secretary of Transportation, Amtrak was created.
Volpe was the first to serve in this role following the position becoming a Cabinet-level appointment. Volpe received the Award of Excellence in 1970 from Engineering News-Record for his service as the Secretary of Transportation.[4]
Ambassador to Italy
In 1973, Volpe was nominated by President Nixon and confirmed by the United States Senate as United States Ambassador to Italy, a position he held until 1977.
Death and legacy
Volpe died in Nahant, Massachusetts on November 11, 1994, at the age of 85.[1] Volpe was buried at the Forest Glade Cemetery in Wakefield, Massachusetts.[5]
The John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge was named in his memory, as well as the Governor John A. Volpe Library at Wakefield High School in Wakefield. The papers of John A. Volpe are in the Archives and Special Collections of the Northeastern University Libraries, in Boston.[6]
References
- ^ a b Jennifer Steinhauer (November 13, 1994). "John A. Volpe, Nixon Supporter And Massachusetts Governor, 85". New York Times. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
John Anthony Volpe, a former Governor of Massachusetts, Ambassador to Italy and United States Secretary of Transportation, died on Friday night. He was 85 and lived in Nahunt, Mass. The Nahant police attributed his death to natural causes. ...
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(help) - ^ "John Volpe, The Life of An Immigrant's Son", Kathleen Kilgore, Yankee Books, 1987, pages 19-20
- ^ "Biography: John A. Volpe", US Department of Transportation
- ^ Lewis, Scott (April 20, 2015), "ENR Marks 50 Years of Excellence", Engineering News-Record, vol. 274, no. 11, New York: Dodge Data & Analytics, pp. 42–56, ISSN 0891-9526
- ^ John Anthony Volpe at Find a Grave
- ^ John A. Volpe Papers - Northeastern University Library
- Governors of Massachusetts
- United States Secretaries of Transportation
- Ambassadors of the United States to Italy
- American military personnel of World War II
- American military personnel of Italian descent
- American people of Italian descent
- American anti-communists
- 1908 births
- 1994 deaths
- Massachusetts Republicans
- United States Navy officers
- United States presidential candidates, 1968
- Politicians from Malden, Massachusetts
- Wentworth Institute of Technology alumni
- State cabinet secretaries of Massachusetts
- Nixon administration cabinet members
- Burials in Massachusetts
- People from Wakefield, Massachusetts
- Republican Party state governors of the United States