Hugh Gallen

Hugh J. Gallen
Born	Hugh Joseph Gallen (1924-07-30) 30 July 1924 Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Died	29 December 1982(1982-12-29) (aged 58) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Car dealer, politician
Known for	74th Governor of New Hampshire (1979–1982)

Hugh Joseph Gallen (July 30, 1924 – December 29, 1982) was an American car dealer and a Democratic politician based in Littleton, New Hampshire. Following his tenure in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, he became the state's 74th governor, serving from 1979 until his passing in 1982.

Early life

Gallen was born in Portland, Oregon, but his family relocated to Medford, Massachusetts when he was six years old. As a young adult, he moved to Littleton, New Hampshire and enlisted in the Civilian Conservation Corps. In February 1947, Gallen secured a minor league pitching contract with the Washington Senators and played part of the season with their Kingsport Cherokees affiliate. However, an arm injury prematurely ended his baseball career.

Before entering the automobile business, Gallen held various jobs including truck driving, carpentry, and paper mill labor. Eventually, he purchased a General Motors dealership in Littleton. In 1948, he married Irene Carbonneau, a native of Littleton; the couple had three children together.

Early political involvement

Gallen began his political journey as a member of the Littleton Planning Board, holding this position from 1962 until 1965. In 1964, he assumed full ownership of a car dealership. Starting in 1967, he served on the New Hampshire Advisory Council for the Small Business Administration. Between 1969 and 1972, he was both director and chairman of the New Hampshire-Vermont Development Council. As chairman of the Democratic State Committee, Gallen played a significant role in backing Edmund Muskie's 1972 presidential bid. That same year, he secured election to the New Hampshire House of Representatives, becoming the first Democrat from Littleton elected to the state legislature in forty years. He sought the governorship in both the 1974 and 1976 races but finished third in the Democratic primaries on each occasion.

1978

Gallen made his third attempt at the governorship in the 1978 contest, where he obtained the Democratic nomination with ease. In the general election, he challenged incumbent Republican governor Meldrim Thomson Jr.. During his campaign, Gallen committed to eliminating the contentious "Construction Work In Progress" electric rates, which permitted the Public Service Company of New Hampshire to charge consumers upfront for building the Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant. Former Republican governor Wesley Powell, who had lost to Thomson in the Republican primary, entered the general election as an independent candidate. Powell’s participation divided the Republican vote, enabling Gallen to win on November 7, 1978, by a margin of 10,669 votes over Thomson.

1980

In the 1980 race, Gallen sought re-election and once again faced Thomson. On November 4, Gallen secured a second term with a victory margin of 70,258 votes. This occurred despite Ronald Reagan’s decisive win in New Hampshire during the presidential race and Republican Warren Rudman’s defeat of Democratic senator John Durkin in that year’s Senate contest.

1982

In the 1982 race, Gallen sought a third term and competed against former state representative and Tufts University academic John H. Sununu. Consistent with his previous campaigns, Gallen refused to commit to "The Pledge" that would prevent him from vetoing any proposed state sales or income tax legislation intended to finance state employee contracts, criticizing the state's tax framework as "outdated". This stance contributed significantly to his defeat by Sununu, who won by a margin of 13,072 votes, despite the broader trend of substantial Democratic gains during that year's midterm elections. Notably, Gallen was the sole Democratic incumbent governor to lose reelection in the 1982 cycle, with New Hampshire—and California—being among only two states where Republicans captured governorships that year.

Tenure

During his initial term, Gallen successfully enacted legislation that barred the Public Service Company of New Hampshire from raising rates to finance the construction of the Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant. His second term was characterized by frequent conflicts with the Republican-majority legislature. In 1979, he deployed the New Hampshire National Guard to safeguard the Seabrook facility from anti-nuclear protesters. In March 1980, Gallen and other officials became targets of harassing phone calls linked to a list discovered in a room used by a campaign worker for Lyndon LaRouche, a contender for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination.[1] By May 1980, Gallen's focus on political and administrative duties in the state capital led to personal financial setbacks, forcing him to close his struggling car dealership. Within less than a year, he faced debts amounting to several thousand dollars. Following Senator John Durkin’s resignation in December 1980, Gallen appointed Warren Rudman, who had already been elected for the upcoming term, to complete Durkin’s remaining tenure. In 1981, a strike involving 9,200 state employees demanding wage increases took place; Gallen negotiated a 9% pay raise, but the Republican-controlled legislature approved only a 6% increase.

In 1981, Gallen became the first governor in New Hampshire's history to veto a state budget, advocating for enhanced funding for social programs. He described the proposed budget as "fundamentally and fatally flawed," emphasizing to lawmakers that such fiscal plans reflect the state's "level of compassion, its sense of justice and its concern for equity." At this time, New Hampshire confronted a $30 million budget shortfall and lost its prestigious triple-A bond rating.

Death

Shortly following his loss in the November 1982 election, Gallen was hospitalized due to a blood infection while vacationing in Saint Croix. He was subsequently airlifted to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. The infection severely affected his liver and kidneys, necessitating dialysis treatment. Since he was out of state and unable to fulfill gubernatorial duties, authority was temporarily passed to the president of the state senate—initially Robert B. Monier, followed by Vesta M. Roy once the new legislature convened in December. Despite medical efforts, Gallen's health deteriorated, leading to his death from organ failure in Boston on December 29, 1982. Roy assumed the role of acting governor for the remainder of Gallen's term, becoming the first woman to hold that position, until Sununu took office on January 6, 1983. Gallen's final resting place is Saint Rose of Lima New Catholic Cemetery located in Littleton.

A bust commemorating Hugh J. Gallen at a dedicated memorial.

References

https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/R000497

External links

• Template:Find a Grave
• Gov. Hugh J. Gallen at National Governors Association