Herb Connolly
Herbert L. Connolly | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | April 8, 1995 (aged 73) Framingham, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, politician |
| Years active | 1940s–1989 |
| Known for | Massachusetts Governor's Council member (1969–1989); owner of Herb Connolly automotive dealerships |
Template:Infobox Politician (general)
Herbert L. Connolly (1922–1995) was a notable American businessman in the automotive sector and a political figure who served on the Massachusetts Governor's Council for two decades, from 1969 until 1989.
Early life
Born on February 28, 1922, in Brookline, Massachusetts, Connolly completed his early education within the Boston Public Schools system before earning his degree from Boston University. Following his graduation, he took on a teaching role at the Wentworth Institute of Technology. During World War II, Connolly served with the United States Army and was deployed to the European front.[1]
Business career
Post-war, Connolly became involved in his family's automotive enterprise located in Brighton, Massachusetts, originally known as Herb Connolly Buick. The dealership relocated to Framingham, Massachusetts in 1974, where he also launched Herb Connolly Acura.[1]
Politics
Connolly first sought public office in the 1962 Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor but was defeated by Francis X. Belotti, securing 43% against Belotti's 57%.[2] Subsequently, he served as a secretary to Governor Endicott Peabody. He made another attempt at the Lieutenant Governor position in the 1966 Democratic primary but lost again, this time to Joseph E. McGuire by a margin of 45% to 55%.[3]
In 1968, Connolly successfully won election to the Massachusetts Governor's Council.[1] His tenure ended following a narrow defeat in the 1988 Democratic primary where Lowell City Councilor Robert B. Kennedy edged him out by a single vote—14,716 to 14,715. At that time, Republican candidate Jody Dow challenged Connolly's residency status because the address listed on his ballot was a Newton residence he had sold in May 1981. Connolly maintained that he retained an apartment at that Newton property and used it as his official voting location. In the early 1980s, amid declining car sales, he and his family moved to a smaller home in Framingham, which was outside his electoral district.[4] Connolly later acknowledged that he did not cast a vote for himself because his campaigning schedule prevented him from reaching the polls before they closed.[5][6][7][8]
Personal life
Connolly was married to Mary Uhl, and together they were parents to three sons.
He dedicated considerable time to philanthropic efforts, notably leading United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Boston as its president for a quarter of a century. Additionally, he held board positions at several organizations including the Massachusetts Cancer Control Clinic, Kennedy Memorial Hospital, Denver Jewish Hospital, Massachusetts Association of the Blind, Massachusetts Kidney Foundation, Children's Asthma Research Institute, and the Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce.
Death
Connolly passed away at his residence in Framingham on April 8, 1995.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedObituary - ↑ Election Statistics: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 1962.
- ↑ Election Statistics.
- ↑ Phillips, Frank (September 30, 1988). "Governor's Councilor Lost by One Vote, Recount Shows". The Boston Globe.
- ↑ "Candidate Is Culprit in 1-Vote Loss". The New York Times. October 3, 1988. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
- ↑ "Candidate Loses by One Vote - His Own". Desert News. October 3, 1988. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
- ↑ "Man loses election by 1 vote, his own". The Telegraph. October 3, 1988. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
- ↑ "A Strange Story". Allegheny Times. October 2, 1988. Retrieved December 19, 2013.