Francis H. Woodward
Francis H. Woodward | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office 1977–1993 | |
| Preceded by | Alan Danovitch |
| Succeeded by | Jo Ann Sprague |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 17, 1939 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Walpole, Massachusetts |
| Alma mater | Newman Preparatory School Dean Junior College |
| Occupation | Lineman State legislator |
Francis H. Woodward is a former American politician who was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993.
Early life
Woodward was born on March 17, 1939, in
Political career
In 1976, Woodward defeated incumbent State Representative
Mandatory seat-belt law
On December 26, 1983, Woodward's eighteen-year-old daughter Carolyn was killed in an automobile accident. She was the passenger in a car that was struck head-on by a drunken driver.[7] Based on his conversations with the emergency-room physician at the hospital where his daughter died, Woodward believed that his daughter would've survived the crash had she been wearing a seat belt.[8]
After the accident, Woodward became an ardent supporter of the proposed mandatory seat-belt law.
In 1987, Woodward supported a bill that would raise the age for mandatory car-seat restraints from 5 to 12.[10] He also sponsored legislation that would require the installation of breath alcohol ignition interlock devices on cars of repeat drunk driving offenders.[11]
Other legislation
Woodward opposed the "Gay Rights Bill", which prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation in the areas of housing, insurance, credit and employment.[12][13]
Woodward proposed building a 500-bed, medium-security prison on state land next to
Post-political career
In 1991, Woodward was removed from his position as Insurance Committee Chairman by Keverian's successor Charles Flaherty.[18] In 1992 it was announced that he would retire from the legislature to become an administrative judge with the state's Industrial Accident Board.[19]
Illegal gratuities
On July 28, 1995, Woodward was indicted on charges of depriving taxpayers of honest services through mail and wire fraud, conspiracy, interstate travel to commit bribery, and lying on State Ethics Commission reports. According to
Woodward's trial began on September 16, 1996.[22] October 2, 1996, he was found guilty of five counts of accepting illegal gratuities during his tenure as Chairman of the Insurance Committee, but not guilty of twenty-one counts that occurred between his removal as Chairman and his departure from the House.[23] On February 7, 1997, Judge Douglas P. Woodlock dismissed one of the five counts and sentenced Woodward to six months in a federal halfway house and fined him $5,000.[24] In 2002, the Massachusetts Retirement Board voted to revoke Woodward's pension.[25][26][27]
References
- ^ "Weddings". The Boston Globe. December 16, 1962.
- ^ a b Nealon, Patricia (September 27, 1996). "US details $8,740 lobbyist spent on legislator". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Lockman, Norman (November 3, 1976). "Backman survives challenge". The Boston Globe.
- ^ "Independent-Minded Legislators Find it Difficult to be Effective". The Boston Globe. September 17, 1993.
- ^ Blake, Andrew (January 4, 1985). "Keverian Poised to Fill 30 Top House Positions". The Boston Globe.
- ^ "The Keverian Team in the Legislature". The Boston Globe. January 13, 1985.
- ^ "Carolyn Woodward, Auto Crash Victim, 18". The Boston Globe. December 27, 1983.
- ^ a b Claffey, Charles E. (May 26, 1985). "Buckle-Up Backers Ready Case". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Blake, Andrew (January 17, 1985). "Mass. House Passes Mandatory Seat Belt Law". The Boston Globe.
- ^ a b c "Bill would raise age requirement for seat belts". Providence Journal. April 1, 1987.
- ^ Heaney, Joe (October 16, 1992). "Reps back anti-drunk locks for repeat offenders". Boston Herald.
- ^ McHugh, Edward (March 28, 1989). "Gay Rights Bill is given preliminary nod". Telegram & Gazette.
- ^ Black, Chris (May 7, 1987). "Mass. House Sends Gay Rights Bill to Senate". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Smock, Frederick A. (June 8, 1989). "Walpole joins fight by New Braintree". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Bloom, Jennifer (April 22, 1990). "Walpole Plays Prison Against Grit Landfill". The Boston Globe.
- ^ McHugh, Edward T. (July 10, 1991). "New Braintree prison gets boot". Telegram & Gazette.
- ISBN 9781558496415.
- ^ Preer, Robert (January 27, 1991). "Despite losing key posts, area retains clout on Beacon Hill". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Zitner, Aaron (April 26, 1992). "Who's in, out? It's decision time in political circles". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Berner, Robert (July 28, 1995). "Former Rep. Woodward indicted on ethics charges". The Patriot Ledger.
- ^ Rakowski, Judy (July 29, 1995). "Former legislator indicted". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Nealon, Patricia (September 16, 1996). "Lobbying case set for trial today". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Nealon, Patricia (October 3, 1996). "Former legislator guilty of corruption". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Nealon, Patricia (February 8, 1997). "Ex-lawmaker sentenced on gratuities". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Mulvihill, Maggie (November 22, 2002). "Retirement board ends pensions for two ex-cons". Boston Herald.
- ^ "United States, Appellee, v. Francis H. Woodward, Defendant, Appellant, 149 F.3d 46 (1st Cir. 1998)".
- ^ US Department of justice | In the Supreme Court of the United States | OCTOBER TERM, 1998 | [1]