Leverett Saltonstall
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (March 2017) |
Leverett Saltonstall | |
---|---|
Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
In office January 1929 – January 1937 | |
Preceded by | John Hull |
Succeeded by | Horace T. Cahill |
Personal details | |
Born | Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, U.S. | September 1, 1892
Died | June 17, 1979 Dover, Massachusetts, U.S. | (aged 86)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Alice Wesselhoeft (m. 1916) |
Education | Harvard University (BA, LLB) |
Nickname | Salty |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1917−1919 |
Rank | First Lieutenant |
Unit | 301st Field Artillery |
Battles/wars | World War I |
Leverett A. Saltonstall (September 1, 1892 – June 17, 1979) was an American lawyer and politician from
Early years
Leverett Saltonstall was born in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, to Richard Middlecott Saltonstall and Eleanor Brooks Saltonstall. The Saltonstall family, a wealthy Boston Brahmin family, had deep colonial roots, as did that of his mother.[2] Saltonstall was able to trace his ancestral roots to the Mayflower;[3] his grandfather and great-grandfather, both also named Leverett Saltonstall. His father was a lawyer; his mother was the daughter of Peter C. Brooks III,[4] a beneficiary of the large fortune of his same-named grandfather.[5]
He was educated at the private
Saltonstall married Alice Wesselhoeft (1893–1981) of
Military service and entry into politics
After graduation, Saltonstall entered the
Saltonstall, a socially progressive
In 1930 Saltonstall became a compatriot of the Massachusetts Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Governor of Massachusetts
In 1936, Saltonstall decided to seek the Republican nomination for Governor of Massachusetts. In the party convention, conservative forces prevailed in securing the nomination for John W. Haigis. Saltonstall's friends were able to engineer his nomination for lieutenant governor. Both Haigis and Saltonstall were defeated by their Democratic rivals, although Saltonstall's margin of defeat, just over 7,000 votes, was small enough to merit a recount; he demurred. He ran again for governor two years later, and won a decisive victory over former Boston Mayor James Michael Curley, who had been involved in a bruising Democratic primary fight against the incumbent Charles F. Hurley.
He was reelected in 1940 and 1942; the 1940 election win was by an extremely narrow margin. During his tenure, Saltonstall mediated a Teamsters strike, reduced taxes, and retired 90 percent of the state's debt. He served as president of the National Governors Association from 1943 to 1944. In 1944, he also served as the fifth president of the Council of State Governments.
U.S. Senator
In 1944, Saltonstall was elected to the
Death and legacy
Saltonstall opted not to run for reelection in 1966, in part to provide an opportunity for his seat to Edward Brooke, a rising star in Massachusetts Republican circles. He retired to his farm in Dover, where he spent his remaining years as a gentleman farmer.[12]
Leverett Saltonstall died of
See also
- Massachusetts legislature:
- Massachusetts House of Representatives' 5th Middlesex district
- List of members of the American Legion
References
- ^ "Tobin Becomes State's 53d Governor Today". The Boston Globe. January 4, 1945. p. 1. Retrieved March 16, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
- ^ a b c d e f Reichard, p. 223
- ^ Rosenberg, p. 266
- ^ "Saltonstall-Brooks-Lewis family papers (1863-1982)>Biographical Sketches", Massachusetts Historical Society. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
- ^ Saltonstall, p. 251
- ^ "Leverett Saltonstall Papers, 1906-1981". Massachusetts Historical Society. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- ^ Bingmann, p. 27
- ^ "Leverett Saltonstall and his Harvard Crew". Life Magazine. June 13, 1949. p. 39.
- ^ "Massachusetts: Blueblood". Life Magazine. October 17, 1938. p. 13.
- ^ Falla, p. 212
- ^ Mead, p. 836
- ^ a b Reichard, p. 224
- ^ "Senate – August 7, 1957" (PDF). Congressional Record. 103 (10). U.S. Government Printing Office: 13900. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Senate – August 29, 1957" (PDF). Congressional Record. 103 (12). U.S. Government Printing Office: 16478. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Senate – April 8, 1960" (PDF). Congressional Record. 106 (6). U.S. Government Printing Office: 7810–7811. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Senate – June 19, 1964" (PDF). Congressional Record. 110 (11). U.S. Government Printing Office: 14511. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Senate – March 27, 1962" (PDF). Congressional Record. 108 (4). U.S. Government Printing Office: 5105. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Senate – May 26, 1965" (PDF). Congressional Record. 111 (2). U.S. Government Printing Office: 11752. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Senate – August 4, 1965" (PDF). Congressional Record. 111 (14). U.S. Government Printing Office: 19378. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ TO PASS H.R. 6675, THE SOCIAL SECURITY AMENDMENTS OF 1965
- ^ Leverett Saltonstall, "Ex-Senator From Massachusetts, Dies; Richard Pearson," The Washington Post, June 18, 1979
Sources
- Bingmann, Melissa (2015). Prep School Cowboys: Ranch Schools in the American West. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press. OCLC 897467026.
- Falla, Jack (2010). Open Ice: Reflections and Confessions of a Hockey Lifer. Mississauga, Ontario: John Wiley. OCLC 373450213.
- Mead, Mead, ed. (1921). Harvard's Military Record in the World War. Harvard University Press. p. 836. OCLC 1191594.
- Reichard, Gary (1999). "Saltonstall, Leverett". Dictionary of American National Biography. Vol. 19. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 223–224. OCLC 39182280.
- Rosenberg, Chaim (2015). Yankee Colonies across America: Cities upon the Hills. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. OCLC 934035950.
- Saltonstall, Nora (2004). "Out Here at the Front": The World War I Letters of Nora Saltonstall. Boston: University Press of New England. OCLC 249962709.
External links
- United States Congress. "Leverett Saltonstall (id: S000021)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
- "Leverett Saltonstall". Find a Grave. Retrieved January 25, 2008.