The Kennedy family is an American political family that has long been prominent in American politics,public service,entertainment,and business. In 1884,35 years after the family's arrival from Ireland,Patrick Joseph "P. J." Kennedy became the first Kennedy elected to public office,serving in the Massachusetts state legislature until 1895. At least one Kennedy family member served in federal elective office from 1947,when P. J. Kennedy's grandson John F. Kennedy became a member of Congress from Massachusetts,until 2011,when Patrick J. Kennedy II retired as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island. Kennedy involvement in federal service continued when Joseph P. Kennedy III,grandson of Robert F. Kennedy,represented Massachusetts's 4th congressional district from 2013 to 2021;and Caroline Kennedy,daughter of the 35th president,served as U.S. ambassdor to Japan from 2013 to 2017 and U.S. ambassador to Australia,beginning in 2022.
Joseph Bradley Varnum was an American politician from Massachusetts. He served as a U.S. representative and United States senator,and held leadership positions in both bodies. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party.
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony,when the colonial assembly,in addition to making laws,sat as a judicial court of appeals. Before the adoption of the state constitution in 1780,it was called the Great and General Court,but the official title was shortened by John Adams,author of the state constitution. It is a bicameral body. The upper house is the Massachusetts Senate which is composed of 40 members. The lower body,the Massachusetts House of Representatives,has 160 members. It meets in the Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill in Boston.
Samuel Dexter was an early American statesman who served both in Congress and in the Presidential Cabinets of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court,the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state. All but one of the districts are named for the counties in which they are located. Senators serve two-year terms,without term limits. The Senate convenes in the Massachusetts State House,in Boston.
Paul Grattan Kirk Jr. is an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Massachusetts from 2009 to 2010,having been appointed to fill the vacancy created by the death of Ted Kennedy. From 1985 to 1989,he chaired the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
Samuel Dana was an American lawyer and politician who served in both branches of the Massachusetts General Court,as President of the Massachusetts Senate and as a United States representative from Massachusetts.
Chester Greenough Atkins is a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a Democrat from Massachusetts.
Bruce E. Tarr is an American politician who serves as a Republican member and Minority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate Since 1995 he has represented the 1st Essex and Middlesex District. He is a member of the United States Republican Party and a former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
Karen Eileen Spilka is an American politician and attorney serving as a Democratic member of the Massachusetts Senate. She represents the 2nd Middlesex and Norfolk district,which includes the towns of Ashland,Framingham,Franklin,Holliston,Hopkinton,Medway and Natick in the MetroWest region of Massachusetts. She has served as the 95th President of the Massachusetts Senate since July 2018. Previously she served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2001 to 2005.
Elections to the 187th Massachusetts State Senate was held on November 4,2008,the same date as the 2008 Massachusetts House election as well as Federal and Congressional elections. Massachusetts Senators serve two-year terms.
The 1952 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 4,1952,in which Incumbent Republican Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. lost to Congressman and future President John F. Kennedy,the Democratic Party nominee.
The 1946 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 5,1946. Incumbent Democratic Senator David I. Walsh ran for re-election to a fifth term in office,but was defeated by Republican former Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.,who returned from service in World War II.
Harriette L. Chandler is an American politician who was the 94th President of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts State Senator for the 1st Worcester district,which includes parts of the city of Worcester,where she resides,and the towns of Boylston,Holden,Princeton,and West Boylston,and parts of Clinton and Northborough. She is a Democrat who has served since January 2001. From 1995 to 2001 she was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Prior to serving in the Massachusetts legislature,she was a member of the Worcester school committee from 1991 to 1994. She is the first woman from Worcester ever to be elected to the Massachusetts Senate.
The 1803 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held in February 1803.
Joan Meschino is an attorney and American politician from Hull,Massachusetts. On November 8,2016,she was elected the State Representative for the Third Plymouth district.
The 179th Massachusetts General Court,consisting of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives,met in 1995 and 1996 during the governorship of Bill Weld. William Bulger served as president of the Senate and Charles Flaherty served as speaker of the House.
The 180th Massachusetts General Court,consisting of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives,met in 1997 and 1998 during the governorships of Bill Weld and Paul Cellucci. Thomas F. Birmingham served as president of the Senate and Thomas M. Finneran served as speaker of the House.
The 160th Massachusetts General Court,consisting of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives,met in 1957 and 1958 during the governorship of Foster Furcolo. Newland H. Holmes served as president of the Senate and John F. Thompson served as speaker of the House.
