Anthony Moreno Scibelli | |
---|---|
Member of the MassachusettsHouseofRepresentatives from the 10th Hampden district | |
In office 1950 –October 16, 1999 | |
Preceded by | Daniel J. Bresnahan |
Succeeded by | Cheryl Coakley-Rivera |
Personal details | |
Born | October 16,1911 Springfield,Massachusetts |
Died | September 18,1998 86) Springfield,Massachusetts | (aged
Resting place | Saint Michaels Cemetery |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Lea (Baraldi) Scibelli |
Residence | Springfield,Massachusetts |
Anthony M. Scibelli (1911-1998) was the longest-serving representative in the history of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He served the South End of Springfield,Massachusetts,the Tenth District in Hampden County,for 48 years,until he died in 1999. [1]
Anthony M. Scibelli was born Antony Moreno Scibelli in Springfield,Massachusetts,on October 16,1911. He was the son of recent immigrants from Italy,Andrea Scibelli and Filomena Ciccarella. Anthony was born at home on Water Street in the South End,a center of Italian community in Springfield. [2] [3] [4] [5]
Anthony has an older brother and two younger sisters. There was also an older son named Anthony who died in infancy. [6] [7]
His father,Andrea,was a laborer,then a barber in 1911. [6] [2] In 1920,he managed a billiards parlor. [7] In 1930,the year before Anthony graduated from Cathedral High School,his father,called Andrew Scibelli,worked as a real estate agent. [8]
In 1937,Anthony M. Scibelli entered local politics as a Democrat. The impetus for his decision was a local trucking company that,in Scibelli's view,enjoyed an unfair advantage in securing contracts with the city. [1] He ran for city council and served for twelve years. [5]
In 1950,Scibelli was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He served for forty-eight years,setting the record for the Massachusetts House of Representatives. In 1999,his record was exceeded by just two other state legislators in the United States. [1]
Tony Scibelli was known as a man of the people. He attributed his longevity as a politician to the personal satisfaction he derived from helping others. He was known as "The Dean" of the House. [1]
In 1965,he was appointed chair of the powerful Ways and Means Committee in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. [9]
In addition to his civil service,Scibelli was a real estate broker. He owned property in Blandford,Vineyard Haven,Agawam,East Longmeadow,Wilbraham and Springfield,in Massachusetts. In Florida,he owned condominiums in Fort Lauderdale and Lauderdale Lakes,and an apartment in Hollywood. [10] [11]
In 1940,Scibelli married his high school classmate,Lea Baraldi. [12] They had no children. [13]
He was a member of the Knights of Columbus,Elks,Eagles,Sons of Italy,and the Ludlow Country Club. [14]
Scibelli had a son around 1964 with Shirley A. Fowell,who was named Michael A. Mellberg. Mellberg changed his name to Michael A. Scibelli in 1986. [11]
In March 1989,Anthony and Lea Scibelli donated $30,000 to an endowment fund at Cathedral High School,their alma mater. [15]
In April 1989,Anthony M. Scibelli wrote a letter of reference to the state Advisory Board of Pardons on behalf of Springfield Mafia boss Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno. Bruno wanted a pardon for a 1966 conviction for possession of stolen goods:a crime he denied committing. Parole board member and future Springfield mayor Michael J. Albano was quoted in the news,saying the pardon was unlikely to be approved.
Scibelli died from pneumonia on 18 September 1998. He was 86. Although he was too ill to campaign or even vote in the primary election,Scibelli won his party's nomination to retain his position as House representative for the Tenth District. [1]
He was buried with his parents in Saint Michaels Cemetery. [16]
A bust bearing his likeness was unveiled on the one-year anniversary of his death. [17] The bust was stolen from its location outside the Mount Carmel Society,and its base damaged,in 2016. [18]
Lea B. Scibelli,his widow,passed away at the age of 105 from COVID-19 on May 18,2020 in Agawam. [19]
Charles H. "Colorado Charlie" Utter was a figure of the American Wild West,best known as a great friend and companion of Wild Bill Hickok. He was also friends with Calamity Jane.
Winthrop Ames was an American theatre director and producer,playwright and screenwriter.
William Joseph Mills was an American jurist who served three terms as the chief justice of the New Mexico Territorial Supreme Court and as the nineteenth and final Governor of New Mexico Territory.
Robert F. Murphy was an American politician who was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. In 1949 Murphy became the first Democrat to serve as the Majority Leader of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Murphy also served as the 59th lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from January 1957 to October 6,1960,when he was appointed by political foe Foster Furcolo to take over the scandal-ridden Metropolitan District Commission. Murphy was the son of Franklin E. Murphy,a telegrapher from Danvers,Massachusetts. Robert's mother,Alice Murphy,worked as a milliner in Boston.
Reginald Harry Barlow was an American stage and screen character actor,author,and film director. He was a busy performer in Hollywood films of the 1930s.
Daniel Lysons (1762–1834) was an English antiquarian and topographer,who published,amongst other works,the four-volume Environs of London (1792–96). He collaborated on several antiquarian works with his younger brother Samuel Lysons (1763–1819).
Thomas Clinton,3rd Earl of Lincoln,was an English peer,styled Lord Clinton from 1585 to 1616.
Bernhard Jetter was a Kingdom of Württemberg-born soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 7th U.S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars. He was one of twenty men who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry against the Dakota at the Battle of Wounded Knee,but now called the Wounded Knee Massacre,in South Dakota on December 29,1890.
First Sergeant Mosheim Feaster was an American soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 7th U.S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars. He was one of twenty men awarded the Medal of Honor for extraordinary gallantry at the Battle of Wounded Knee,but now called the Wounded Knee Massacre,on December 29,1890. He later served in the Spanish–American War.
Webster Wells (1851–1916) was an American mathematician known primarily for his authorship of mathematical textbooks.
Latta Malette "LM" Autrey was an American politician who served one term as the 25th mayor of Orlando,Florida,from 1926 to 1929. Two of his former homes are now designated as historical landmarks,the Autrey-Williams House in Newton,Texas,built in 1912 and currently being restored by David Holmes,as well as the L. M. Autrey House in the Lake Eola Heights Neighborhood in Orlando,Florida.
John Andrew Brewin was an American college football and college baseball coach for Davidson College in the early 1900s. He was the first official head coach for both teams in school history. Brewin also served as the Physical Director during his tenure at Davidson.
Colonel Edward David Shames was a United States Army enlisted man and officer who later served in the U.S. Army Reserve. During World War II,he was assigned to the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment,101st Airborne Division. Shames was Jewish and reported being deeply affected by his personal viewing of Nazi Germany's concentration camps.
Edgar S. Coolidge was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives.
Dora Zaslavsky Koch was an American pianist who was one of the first graduates of and later a teacher at the Manhattan School of Music.
Edward Edwin Fitzgibbon was a farmer,teacher,and politician.
Elizabeth Clinton,Countess of Lincoln was an English noblewoman and writer. She was Countess of Lincoln from 1616 until the death of her husband Thomas Clinton,3rd Earl of Lincoln,in 1619,then Dowager Countess. Her pamphlet on child-raising,The Countess of Lincoln's Nursery,gained praise.
Jay Elijah Nash was an American Civil War veteran,farmer,businessman,and politician who was one of the founders of the Socialist Party of Minnesota,served as its State Secretary from 1904 to 1912,and ran as the Socialist nominee for Governor of Minnesota in 1902 and 1904,and for Minnesota State Treasurer in 1912 and 1914.
Edward Renouf was an American chemist and chemistry professor,known for having helped found the chemistry department and research laboratory at Johns Hopkins University,and for his authorship of chemistry textbooks.
Del Castillo,was a cinema organist,theatre organist and composer,who provided music for radio series such as Stars over Hollywood,Hollywood Theatre of Today,and Satan's Waitin',as well as a number of animated short subjects,including several featuring Mr. Magoo. In addition,he served for several years as both program director and staff organist at WEEI (AM) in Boston.