Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1964

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Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1964
Flag of Massachusetts (1908-1971).svg
←  1962 November 3, 1964 1966  →

  Volpe.gif Francis X. Bellotti.jpg
Nominee John A. Volpe Francis X. Bellotti
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote1,176,4621,153,416
Percentage50.27%49.29%
Governor before election

Endicott Peabody
Democratic

Elected Governor

John A. Volpe
Republican

The 1964 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1964. Former Governor John A. Volpe was elected to a two-year term. He defeated former Lieutenant Governor Francis X. Bellotti in the general election. [1]

Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts position

The Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts is the first in the line to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor following the incapacitation of the Governor of Massachusetts. The constitutional honorific title for the office is His, or Her, Honor.

Contents

The race between Volpe and Bellotti was the first time in Massachusetts history that the two major parties backed sons of Italian immigrants for governor. [2]

This was the final election held before Governor's Term of office was extended from two to four years.

A term of office is the length of time a person serves in a particular elected office. In many jurisdictions there is a defined limit on how long terms of office may be before the officeholder must be subject to re-election. Some jurisdictions exercise term limits, setting a maximum number of terms an individual may hold in a particular office.

Conventions

There were fourteen Democratic candidates for Lieutenant Governor going into the convention. Before the balloting began, three candidates (New Bedford Mayor Edward F. Harrington, Lowell City Councilor George P. Macheras, and former state representative Rico Matera) withdrew. On the first ballot, Massachusetts Governor's Councilor John W. Costello led with 428 votes to Worcester attorney and Industrial Accident Board member Joseph E. McGuire's 404, state senator Mario Umana's 250, and state representative Joseph G. Bradley's 112. The other seven candidates (James A. DeGuglielmo, Harold L. Vaughn, Boston school committee member Thomas S. Eisenstadt, state comptroller Joseph Alecks, Holyoke mayor Daniel F. Dibble, and state representatives Andre R. Sigourney and George H. O'Fannell.) received less than the 100 votes required to remain on the ballot and Bradley chose to drop out, which left Costello, McGuire, and Umana as the only remaining candidates. Costello led again on the second ballot, with 641 votes to McGuire's 600 and Umana's 343, but did not receive enough votes (733) to win the nomination. The same happened on the third (687 votes for Costello to McGuire's 656 and Umana's 172), however on the fourth ballot, Umana fell to 99 votes, which eliminated him from the contest. On the fifth and final ballot Costello won the party's endorsement by defeating McGuire 724 votes to 691. [3]

New Bedford, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts, United States

New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts. New Bedford is nicknamed "The Whaling City" because during the 19th century, the city was one of the most important whaling ports in the world, along with Nantucket, Massachusetts and New London, Connecticut. The city, along with Fall River and Taunton, make up the three largest cities in the South Coast region of Massachusetts and is known for its fishing fleet and accompanying seafood producing industries as well as having a high concentration of Luso Americans.

Lowell, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts, United States

Lowell is a city in the U.S. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Located in Middlesex County, Lowell was a county seat until Massachusetts disbanded county government in 1999. With an estimated population of 109,945 in 2014, it is the fourth-largest city in Massachusetts, and the second-largest in the Boston metropolitan statistical area. The city is also part of a smaller Massachusetts statistical area called Greater Lowell, as well as New England's Merrimack Valley region.

Massachusetts Governors Council governmental body in Massachusetts, United States, also historically the commonwealths acting governor (serving collectively)

The Massachusetts Governor's Council is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matters – such as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutations – to the Governor of Massachusetts. Councillors are elected by the general public and their duties are set forth in the Massachusetts Constitution.

Primaries

Incumbent governor Endicott Peabody was challenged by Lieutenant Governor Francis X. Bellotti, Middlesex County District Attorney John J. Droney, and Perennial candidate Pasquale Caggiano. [4] Bellotti won the primary despite Peabody having the backing of most of the Party leadership, including Peabody's longtime close friend, Senator Ted Kennedy. [5]

Endicott Peabody Massachusetts politician, football player, United States Navy officer and World War II veteran

Endicott Peabody was an American politician from Massachusetts. A Democrat, he served a single two-year term as the 62nd Governor of Massachusetts, from 1963 to 1965.

Middlesex County, Massachusetts County in the United States

Middlesex County is a county in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of 2016, the estimated population was 1,589,774, making it the twenty-first most populous county in the United States, and the most populous county in both Massachusetts and New England. As part of the 2010 national census, the Commonwealth's mean center of population for that year was geo-centered in Middlesex County, in the town of Natick at. Middlesex County is included in the Census Bureau’s Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH Metropolitan Statistical Area.

A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for an elected office but seldom wins. The term is not generally extended to incumbent politicians who successfully defend their seats repeatedly.

Volpe ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

1964 Massachusetts Democratic gubernatorial primary [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Democratic Francis X. Bellotti 363,67549.61%
Democratic Endicott Peabody 336,78045.94%
Democratic John J. Droney 27,3573.73%
Democratic Pasquale Caggiano 5,2500.72%

General election

Volpe defeated Bellotti by less than 25,000 votes. Volpe's victory came in a year in which Democrats gained seats in the United States House of Representatives and Senate and Lyndon Johnson won the Presidential election in a landslide. [7]

United States House of Representatives lower house of the United States Congress

The United States House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they compose the legislature of the United States.

United States Senate Upper house of the United States Congress

The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, which along with the United States House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the legislature of the United States. The Senate chamber is located in the north wing of the Capitol, in Washington, D.C.

1964 Massachusetts gubernatorial election [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Republican John A. Volpe 1,176,46250.27%
Democratic Francis X. Bellotti 1,153,41649.29%
Socialist Labor Francis A. Votano6,2730.27%
Prohibition Guy S. Williams3,7130.16%
Write-inAll others2660.01%

Former United States Attorney Elliot L. Richardson defeated executive councillor John W. Costello in the race for lieutenant governor. [9]

1964 Massachusetts Lt. gubernatorial election [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Republican Elliot L. Richardson 1,121,98550.22%
Democratic John W. Costello 1,097,38049.11%
Socialist Labor Edgar E. Gaudet 9,5510.43%
Prohibition Prescott E. Grout 5,4240.24%

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References

  1. ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=174326
  2. ↑ "Democrats Close Ranks Behind Lt. Gov. Bellotti". Hartford Courant. September 12, 1964.
  3. ↑ Hanron, Robert B. (June 21, 1964). "Democrats Wind It Up". The Boston Globe.
  4. ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=547233
  5. ↑ "The Nation". Los Angeles Times. September 13, 1964.
  6. ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=547233
  7. ↑ "Republicans Gain One Governor's Mansion". Los Angeles Times. November 5, 1964.
  8. ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=174326
  9. ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=413427
  10. ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=174326


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