Barry Locke

Barry Locke
Born	(1930-12-21) 21 December 1930
Died	4 March 2007(2007-03-04) (aged 76)
Occupation	Politician
Known for	Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation (1979–1981)

Barry Myles Locke (December 21, 1930 – March 4, 2007) was an American politician known for his tenure as Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation from 1979 until his indictment on corruption charges in 1981.

Early life

Locke was born to Arthur "Leo" Locke and Lillian Mahler. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University in 1953. Following graduation, he served two years in the United States Army as a public information officer. After completing his military duty, Locke spent five years working as a newspaper editor in Michigan before returning to New England to serve as Vermont bureau chief for United Press International.

Early government career

Locke's public service began in 1961 when he took on the roles of chief administrator and press secretary for Vermont Governor F. Ray Keyser, Jr.. That same year, he advanced to the position of Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs.

In 1963, he transitioned to the role of public information officer within the office of the assistant regional commissioner for administration at the Internal Revenue Service.

Aide to John A. Volpe

Between 1964 and 1969, Locke acted as press secretary to Massachusetts Governor John A. Volpe. Upon Volpe’s appointment as United States Secretary of Transportation under President Richard M. Nixon, Locke accompanied him as a personal aide.

Following Volpe’s departure from the transportation department, Locke served as public relations director for the Office of Economic Opportunity and later collaborated with Energy Czar John Arthur Love in his capacity as Director of the Office of Energy Policy.

During his time in Washington, Locke also managed professional middleweight boxer Leo Saenz.

Bi-State Development Agency

In 1977, Locke was named executive director of the Bi-State Development Agency, where he was responsible for overseeing the transportation system in St. Louis and managing a workforce numbering approximately 2,400 employees.

Secretary of Transportation and Chairman of the MBTA

Locke joined Massachusetts Governor Edward J. King’s cabinet in 1979 as Secretary of Transportation. The following year, he assumed the additional role of acting chairman of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ("The T").

A restructuring within the MBTA in 1981 delegated daily operational responsibilities to a general manager, thereby diminishing Locke’s hands-on authority. On May 1, 1981, amid an inquiry into alleged kickback schemes, Locke was placed on unpaid leave from both his MBTA and cabinet positions.

Indictment and conviction

On July 17, 1981, Locke and eight other individuals faced indictment related to an MBTA kickback scandal. He was convicted on February 2, 1982, on five counts involving conspiracy to commit bribery and larceny. This made him the sole Massachusetts Cabinet Secretary since 1970 to be found guilty of a felony while holding office.

Although prosecutors sought a sentence ranging from four to five years, Judge Rudolph Pierce imposed a harsher term of seven to ten years at Walpole State Prison, citing Locke’s "insatiable appetite" for illicit payments and concerns about potential early parole.

Prison

Locke began serving his prison term on March 19, 1982, at Walpole State Prison and was soon transferred to Concord State Prison for classification purposes. On July 1, he was moved to Berkshire House of Correction, a medium-security facility. Later that year on December 23, he was relocated to Lawrence House of Correction due to family-related difficulties. During incarceration, Locke took on editorial duties for a prison newspaper.

On September 29, 1983, Judge Pierce reduced Locke’s sentence to six to ten years after identifying an error affecting parole eligibility calculations. Locke ultimately gained parole release on March 19, 1984.

Later years and passing

Following his release from incarceration, Locke moved to Montgomery Village, Maryland. He held the position of president at CHI Centers, an organization based in Silver Spring dedicated to aiding individuals with developmental disabilities, for a period of five years. In 2006, he was honored with the Spirit to Serve Award by Marriott International.

Locke passed away due to a heart attack on March 4, 2007.