Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1958

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Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1958
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←  1956 November 4, 1958 1960  →

  Foster Furcolo, 60th Governor of Massachusetts.jpg No image.svg
Nominee Foster Furcolo Charles Gibbons
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote1,067,020818,463
Percentage56.19%43.10%
Governor before election

Foster Furcolo
Democratic

Elected Governor

Foster Furcolo
Democratic

The 1958 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1958. Democrat Foster Furcolo was elected Governor of Massachusetts for a second term, defeating Republican Charles Gibbons, Socialist Labor candidate Henning A. Blomen, and Prohibition candidate Guy S. Williams.

Foster Furcolo US politician

John Foster Furcolo was an American lawyer, writer, and Democratic Party politician from Massachusetts. He was the state's 60th governor, and also represented the state as a member of the United States House of Representatives. He was the first Italian-American governor of the state, and an active promoter of community colleges.

Governor of Massachusetts head of state and of government of the U.S. commonwealth of Massachusetts

The Governor of Massachusetts is the head of the executive branch of the Government of Massachusetts and serves as commander-in-chief of the Commonwealth's military forces. The current governor is Charlie Baker.

Charles Gibbons was a U.S. politician who served as the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1953 to 1955 as a Republican. As of 2017, he is the last Republican to serve as Massachusetts Speaker of the House.

Contents

In the race for Lieutenant Governor, Democrat Robert F. Murphy, defeated Republican Elmer C. Nelson, Prohibition candidate Harold E. Bassett, and Socialist Labor candidate Francis A. Votano.

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.

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.

Elmer C. Nelson was an American political figure who served as the Chairman of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee from 1953 to 1956, a delegate to the 1956 Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, and the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in 1958. He was a resident of Mendon, Massachusetts.

Primaries

Incumbent Governor Foster Furcolo ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination and Attorney General George Fingold was unopposed in the Republican primary.

Massachusetts Attorney General attorney general for the U.S. state of Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected constitutionally defined executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The officeholder is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The officeholder also acts as an advocate and resource for the Commonwealth and its residents in many areas, including consumer protection, combating fraud and corruption, protecting civil rights, and maintaining economic competition. The current Attorney General is Maura Healey.

George Fingold was an American politician from Massachusetts who served as Attorney General of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1958.

On August 31, 1958, Fingold died unexpectedly at his home in Concord, Massachusetts. [1] As his death occurred only nine days before the primary, Fingold was the only candidate for Governor on the Republican ballot. Former Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Charles Gibbons, former State Public Works Commissioner John A. Volpe, and Assistant Attorney General Joseph P. McKay ran as write-in candidates. [2]

Concord, Massachusetts Town in Massachusetts, United States

Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the confluence of the Sudbury and Assabet rivers forms the Concord River.

Robert F. Murphy and Elmer C. Nelson ran unopposed for the Democratic and Republican nominations for Lt. Governor, respectively.

Results

Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial primary, 1958 [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Republican Charles Gibbons (Write-in)158,94484.32%
Republican George Fingold (Deceased)23,03112.22%
Republican John A. Volpe (Write-in)3,7031.96%
Republican Joseph P. McKay (Write-in)1,7510.93%

General election

Governor

Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1958
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Democratic Foster Furcolo 1,067,02056.19%
Republican Charles Gibbons 818,46343.10%
Socialist Labor Henning A. Blomen 7,8710.42%
Prohibition Guy S. Williams5,7450.30%

Lieutenant Governor

Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1958
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Democratic Robert F. Murphy 1,112,00160.34%
Republican Elmer C. Nelson 711,36238.60%
Socialist Labor Francis A. Votano11,2300.61%
Prohibition Harold E. Bassett 8,3000.45%

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References

  1. ↑ "George Fingold is Dead at 49. Massachusetts Attorney General; G.O.P.Candidate for Governor Had Campaigned Saturday --Serving Third Term". New York Times . September 1, 1958.
  2. ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=570867
  3. ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=570867

Hayden, Irving N.; Grove, Lawrence R. (1959). A Manual for the Use of the General Court for 1959–1960. Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Company. pp. 298–99. Retrieved September 23, 2010. 

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