Leverett Saltonstall
Encyclopedia
Leverett A. Saltonstall (September 1, 1892 June 17, 1979) was an American
Republican
politician who served as the 55th Governor of Massachusetts
(1939–1945) and as a United States Senator (1945–1967).
and was a longtime summer resident of Vinalhaven, Maine
. As an adult he spent winters on his family estate in Dover, Massachusetts
, where he liked to farm. His father was Richard Middlecott Saltonstall, a lawyer; his mother, Eleanor Brooks Saltonstall, was the daughter of a multimillionaire, Peter C. Brooks. He married Alice Wesselhoeft (1893–1981) in 1916, and together they had six children, including Emily (1920–2006), at one time the daughter-in-law of Richard Byrd
and a former WAVE
; Peter Brooks Saltonstall, killed in action on Guam on August 13, 1944; William L. Saltonstall
(1927–2009), a former member of the Massachusetts Senate
; and Susan (1930–1994), a horse breeder.
Part of the Boston Brahmin
Saltonstall family
, he was able to trace his ancestral roots to the Mayflower
, the Pilgrims
and the Massachusetts Bay Colony
. Saltonstall was the tenth generation in direct descent to graduate from Harvard and the great-grandson of a U.S. Congressman
of the same name.
A graduate of the private Noble and Greenough School
, he graduated from Harvard College
in 1914, where he was captain of the Junior Varsity crew that won the prestigious Grand Challenge Cup
at the Henley Royal Regatta
– the first American crew ever to do so–and Harvard Law School
in 1917. Saltonstall also played hockey at Harvard where he scored a dramatic overtime goal in 1914 for Harvard to beat the legendary Hobey Baker's Princeton team. "Salty" also rowed and played football at Harvard. Prior to being admitted to the bar, he served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army
during and after World War I
from 1917 to 1919.
Saltonstall, a Republican, entered politics as an alderman
in Newton, Massachusetts
from 1920 to 1922, while simultaneously serving as an assistant district attorney of Middlesex County
from 1921 to 1922. He was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives
that same year; there he rose to the position of Speaker of the House, which he held from 1929 to 1937.
, a position he held for three terms from 1939 to 1945.
During that period, Governor Saltonstall mediated a Teamster
s strike
, reduced taxes, and retired 90 percent of the state's debt. He served as President of the National Governor's Association
from 1943 to 1944. While he was Governor, the Cocoanut Grove fire
occurred in Boston. In 1944, he also served as the fifth President of the Council of State Governments
.
in a special election
to fill the unexpired term created by the resignation of U.S. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
He was re-elected three times to the U.S. Senate, serving from 1945 to 1967. Those he defeated included John H. Corcoran
in 1944, John I. Fitzgerald in 1948, Foster Furcolo
in 1954, and Thomas J. O'Connor, Jr. in 1960. During his tenure
in the Senate, he served as the Senate Republican Whip and on five influential Senate committees. He also served as the chair of the Senate Republican Conference
, 1957–1966.
once described Saltonstall as having a "Harvard accent with a South Boston face." Though the remark was intended as a political jab, it resonated with truth, as Saltonstall had an uncanny ability to blend his aristocratic lineage with a personable charm which greatly appealed to the average worker and the common man.
in Salem, Massachusetts
. The Saltonstall Building
in downtown Boston
is named for him.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician who served as the 55th Governor of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
(1939–1945) and as a United States Senator (1945–1967).
Biography
Saltonstall was born in Chestnut Hill, MassachusettsChestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Chestnut Hill is a wealthy New England village located six miles west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is not an incorporated municipal entity, but unlike most of them, it encompasses parts of three separate municipalities, each of...
and was a longtime summer resident of Vinalhaven, Maine
Vinalhaven, Maine
Vinalhaven is a town located in the Fox Islands in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,235 at the 2000 census. It is home to a thriving lobster fishery and hosts a summer colony...
. As an adult he spent winters on his family estate in Dover, Massachusetts
Dover, Massachusetts
Dover is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,589 at the 2010 census.Located about southwest of downtown Boston, Dover is a residential town nestled on the south banks of the Charles River. Almost all of the residential zoning requires or larger...
, where he liked to farm. His father was Richard Middlecott Saltonstall, a lawyer; his mother, Eleanor Brooks Saltonstall, was the daughter of a multimillionaire, Peter C. Brooks. He married Alice Wesselhoeft (1893–1981) in 1916, and together they had six children, including Emily (1920–2006), at one time the daughter-in-law of Richard Byrd
Richard Evelyn Byrd
Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr., USN was a naval officer who specialized in feats of exploration. He was a pioneering American aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics...
and a former WAVE
WAVES
The WAVES were a World War II-era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. The name of this group is an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" ; the word "emergency" implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of the war and...
; Peter Brooks Saltonstall, killed in action on Guam on August 13, 1944; William L. Saltonstall
William L. Saltonstall
William Lawrence Saltonstall , an American politician, was a member of the Massachusetts Senate from 1967 to 1979. He was a Republican and a resident of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. He led an unsuccessful campaign in 1969 to represent 's congressional district in the U.S...
(1927–2009), a former member of the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
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...
; and Susan (1930–1994), a horse breeder.
Part of the Boston Brahmin
Boston Brahmin
Boston Brahmins are wealthy Yankee families characterized by a highly discreet and inconspicuous life style. Based in and around Boston, they form an integral part of the historic core of the East Coast establishment...
Saltonstall family
Saltonstall family
The Saltonstall family is a Boston Brahmin family from the U.S. state of Massachusetts, notable for having had a family member attend Harvard University from every generation since Nathaniel Saltonstall—later one of the more principled judges at the Salem Witch Trials—graduated in 1659...
, he was able to trace his ancestral roots to the Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
, the Pilgrims
Pilgrims
Pilgrims , or Pilgrim Fathers , is a name commonly applied to early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States...
and the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
. Saltonstall was the tenth generation in direct descent to graduate from Harvard and the great-grandson of a U.S. Congressman
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
of the same name.
A graduate of the private Noble and Greenough School
Noble and Greenough School
The Noble and Greenough School, commonly known as Nobles, is a coeducational, nonsectarian day and boarding school for students in grades seven through twelve. It is located on a campus in Dedham, Massachusetts. The current enrollment of 550 students includes a balance of boys and girls, of whom...
, he graduated from Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
in 1914, where he was captain of the Junior Varsity crew that won the prestigious Grand Challenge Cup
Grand Challenge Cup
The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and most prestigious event at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs...
at the Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
– the first American crew ever to do so–and Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1917. Saltonstall also played hockey at Harvard where he scored a dramatic overtime goal in 1914 for Harvard to beat the legendary Hobey Baker's Princeton team. "Salty" also rowed and played football at Harvard. Prior to being admitted to the bar, he served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during and after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
from 1917 to 1919.
Saltonstall, a Republican, entered politics as an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
in Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
from 1920 to 1922, while simultaneously serving as an assistant district attorney of Middlesex County
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...
from 1921 to 1922. He was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
that same year; there he rose to the position of Speaker of the House, which he held from 1929 to 1937.
Governor of Massachusetts
In 1936, he was defeated in the election for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, but he made a resounding political comeback two years later when he was elected Governor of MassachusettsGovernor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
, a position he held for three terms from 1939 to 1945.
During that period, Governor Saltonstall mediated a Teamster
Teamster
A teamster, in modern American English, is a truck driver. The trade union named after them is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters , one of the largest unions in the United States....
s strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
, reduced taxes, and retired 90 percent of the state's debt. He served as President of the National Governor's Association
National Governors Association
The National Governors Association , founded in 1908 as the National Governors' Conference, is funded primarily by state dues, federal grants and contracts and private contributions. NGA represents the governors of the fifty U.S. states and five U.S. territories The National Governors Association...
from 1943 to 1944. While he was Governor, the Cocoanut Grove fire
Cocoanut Grove fire
The Cocoanut Grove was Boston's premier nightclub during the post-Prohibition 1930s and 40s. On November 28, 1942, occurred the scene of what remains the deadliest nightclub fire, killing 492 people and injuring hundreds more...
occurred in Boston. In 1944, he also served as the fifth President of the Council of State Governments
Council of State Governments
The Council of State Governments is a nonpartisan non-profit organization in the United States serving the state governments. It serves state legislatures, state courts, and executive branch officials and agencies, and is the only multi-branch organization of state governments in the United...
.
US Senator
In 1944, he was elected to the United States SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in a special election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
to fill the unexpired term created by the resignation of U.S. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. was a Republican United States Senator from Massachusetts and a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, South Vietnam, West Germany, and the Holy See . He was the Republican nominee for Vice President in the 1960 Presidential election.-Early life:Lodge was born in Nahant,...
He was re-elected three times to the U.S. Senate, serving from 1945 to 1967. Those he defeated included John H. Corcoran
John H. Corcoran
John Hubert Corcoran, Jr. was a Massachusetts politician who served on the Cambridge, Massachusetts City Council and as the Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts.Corcoran's father, John Hubert Corcoran, Sr...
in 1944, John I. Fitzgerald in 1948, Foster Furcolo
Foster Furcolo
John Foster Furcolo was a member of the Democratic Party who served as the 60th Governor of Massachusetts, a member of the United States House of Representatives, and in other government offices in Massachusetts. He was the first Italian-American governor of Massachusetts.-Life and career:Furcolo...
in 1954, and Thomas J. O'Connor, Jr. in 1960. During his tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
in the Senate, he served as the Senate Republican Whip and on five influential Senate committees. He also served as the chair of the Senate Republican Conference
Republican Conference of the United States Senate
The Senate Republican Conference is the formal organization of the Republican Senators in the United States Senate, who currently number 47. Over the last century, the mission of the Conference has expanded and been shaped as a means of informing the media of the opinions and activities of Senate...
, 1957–1966.
Character description
James Michael CurleyJames Michael Curley
James Michael Curley was an American politician famous for his four terms as mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. He also served twice in the United States House of Representatives and one term as 53rd Governor of Massachusetts.-Early life:Curley's father, Michael Curley, left Oughterard, County...
once described Saltonstall as having a "Harvard accent with a South Boston face." Though the remark was intended as a political jab, it resonated with truth, as Saltonstall had an uncanny ability to blend his aristocratic lineage with a personable charm which greatly appealed to the average worker and the common man.
Death and legacy
Leverett Saltonstall died of congestive heart failure in 1979 aged 86, and is buried in Harmony Grove CemeteryHarmony Grove Cemetery
Harmony Grove Cemetery is a cemetery in Salem, Massachusetts. It was established in 1840 and is located at 30 Grove Street.The cemetery includes the Gothic revival Blake Memorial Chapel of 1905.-Notable burials:...
in Salem, Massachusetts
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
. The Saltonstall Building
Saltonstall Building
The Leverett Saltonstall Building is a high-rise building located in the Government Center district of Boston, Massachusetts. The building stands at 396 feet with 22 floors, and was completed in 1971. It is tied with One Devonshire Place and Harbor Towers II as the 28th-tallest building in Boston....
in downtown Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
is named for him.