Paul A. Dever

Paul Dever
58thGovernor of Massachusetts
In office January 6, 1949 – January 8, 1953
Lieutenant	Charles F. Sullivan
Preceded by	Robert F. Bradford
Succeeded by	Christian Herter
29thAttorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
In office January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1941
Governor	James Michael Curley Charles F. Hurley Leverett Saltonstall
Preceded by	Joseph E. Warner
Succeeded by	Robert T. Bushnell
Personal details
Born	Paul Andrew Dever (1903-01-15)January 15, 1903 Boston, Massachusetts,U.S.
Died	April 11, 1958(1958-04-11)(aged 55) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Northeastern University Boston University(LLB)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1942–1945
Rank	Lieutenant commander
Battles/wars	World War II

Paul Andrew Dever(January 15, 1903 – April 11, 1958) was an AmericanDemocraticpolitician fromBoston, Massachusetts.He served as the58th Governor of Massachusettsand was its youngest-everAttorney General. Among his notable accomplishments was the construction of Boston’s circumferential highway Route 128, then called "Dever’s Folley," which was later expanded to Interstate 95, one of the most used national highways.

Early life

Paul Dever was born inBoston, Massachusettsto two Irish immigrants, Joseph and Anna MacAlevy Dever. His father died when he was eight, and he took odd jobs as a youth to help the family make ends meet.He attended Boston public schools, includingBoston Latin School.He attendedNortheastern Universityfor a time, but then transferred toBoston University,from whose law schoolhe graduated with anLL.B.in 1926with high honors. He was admitted to the bar, and joined the practice of Harvey Boutwell, a blind attorney whose need to have papers read aloud furthered Dever's oratorical skills.

He servedas the grand knight of the Mt. Pleasant Council of the Knights of Columbus.He was also the godfather to one of State DeputyThomas J. Spring's children. He appointed Spring to a judgeship inRoxbury District Court.

Early political career

See also:1929–1930 Massachusetts legislature,1931–1932 Massachusetts legislature,and1933–1934 Massachusetts legislature

Dever was long interested in politics, having observed his uncleJohn,a leading figure inMassachusetts Democratic Partypolitics.He served for some time as an aide to SenatorDavid I. Walsh,one of the state's most prominent Democratic politicians.Dever was elected to theMassachusetts House of Representativesfor the3rd Middlesex districtin 1928, and served from 1929 to 1935 in a district representingCambridgethat had historically beenRepublican.

In 1934 Dever was electedAttorney General,and was at age 31 the youngest to hold that office. Among his claimed successes were a 95% conviction rate, and the closure of a significant number of lenders engaging inusurious lending practices.He also identified under- or mis-utilized trust funds, including one which was eventually used for construction of theHatch Shellon Boston'sCharles River Esplanade.In 1940, he challenged the popularincumbentGovernorLeverett Saltonstallfor his seat, losing by a margin of 0.3%.

World War II

In 1942, Dever enlisted in theUnited States NavyforWorld War II.He was subsequently commissioned alieutenant commander,and served in theNorth Atlantic,EuropeanandAfricanSectors until his discharge at the end of the war in 1945. Assignments included command of the Marine Corps contingent atArgentia, Newfoundland and Labrador,and the delivery of election ballots to military posts. After the war, he continued to serve in the military reserve, and was eventually promoted to commander.

Governor of Massachusetts

See also:1949–1950 Massachusetts legislature

Dever lost the1946 raceforlieutenant governor,but two years later he defeated incumbent governorRobert F. Bradfordin a Democratic landslide, which saw that party gain complete control of the state for the first time in the 20th century. He was the state's 58th governor, and won election to a second term in1950,defeating the Republican candidate, former Lieutenant GovernorArthur W. Coolidge.

During his tenure, Dever increased state aid to schools and issued an executive order to extend higher education benefits toKorean Warveterans.Among his chief concerns werecivil defenseand resisting domesticcommunism.He supported legislation requiring school teachers to takeloyalty oaths,and he advocated increasing old age and workers compensation insurance. He also introduced a graduated income tax, and introduced measures to improve the care and education of the state's mentally handicapped.

A major statewide transportation infrastructure initiative, developed by Governor Bradford, was passed during his term. Under this plan, the state constructedMassachusetts Route 128,theCentral Artery,andStorrow Drive.The first bond issue for this work was passed early in his term; it had previously been rejected by the Democratic legislature in Bradford's tenure.This and other major spending initiatives greatly exceeded the amount raised by new tax levies,and marked the start of an extended period of deficit spending by the state.In Dever's second term, transportation spending was further expanded, and he established the Massachusetts Turnpike Commission, which funded construction of theMassachusetts Turnpikethrough bonds paid off by tolls.

Another major initiative undertaken during Dever's period in office was a significant expansion of the state's facilities for the mentally handicapped, which had suffered for many years from overcrowding and understaffing. Among the facilities built was the Myles Standish State School for the Mentally Retarded inTaunton,which was renamed thePaul A. Dever State Schoolin his honor after his death.

In1952,Dever made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Dever was also the keynote speaker at the1952 Democratic National Convention;his speech, one of the first such speeches to be televised, made the portly Dever look bad.Also that year, the Dever administration came under fire when the Massachusetts Federation of Taxpayers Associations found that pensions for members and former members of thestate legislaturehad been increased. One of those eligible was formerMayor of Bostonand GovernorJames Michael Curley,a convicted felon. Dever gave in to pressure groups, calling a special session of the legislature that repealed the bill.

Dever had built a strong political machine in Massachusetts, and was widely considered a potential candidate for theUnited States Senatein 1952, which was also sought byJohn F. Kennedy.After informing Kennedy that he was interested in running again for governor, the two established a joint campaign committee. Kennedy maintained a distance from Dever and his campaign, and was able to capture the Senate seat in the election, which was otherwise a major victory for Republicans.RepublicanChristian Herterdefeated Dever in a narrow win, assisted by the long coattails of Presidential winnerDwight David Eisenhower,and discontent among the state's ethnic Democrats forAdlai Stevenson,the Democratic presidential nominee.After Dever's death, associates of his alleged that the publisher of theBoston Postpressured Dever to arrange a loan in exchange for the newspaper's endorsement.

Death and burial

After leaving office Dever returned to practicing law. He attempted to remain active in politics, supporting Stevenson in the1956 presidential race,even though most state party leaders did not believe Stevenson's chances againstEisenhowerwere any better than they had been in 1952.

Dever was a lifelong bachelor, who lived for many years in Cambridge with his sister Marie. She served as his First Lady during his tenure as governor.He suffered from heart disease in his later years, and died of a heart attack on April 11, 1958. He was buried inSt. Joseph Cemeteryin theWest Roxburysection of Boston.

Sources

• Hannan, Caryn, ed. (2008).Massachusetts Biographical Dictionary.Hamburg, MI: State History Publications.ISBN9781878592668.OCLC198759744.
• Hogarty, Richard (2002).Massachusetts Politics and Public Policy: Studies in Power and Leadership.Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press.ISBN9781558493513.OCLC48655943.
• Lapomarda, Vincent A. (1992).The Knights of Columbus in Massachusetts(second ed.). Norwood, Massachusetts: Knights of Columbus Massachusetts State Council.
• Nelson, Garrison (2017).John William McCormack: A Political Biography.Bloomsbury.ISBN9781628925173.
• O'Connor, Thomas (1995).Building a New Boston: Politics and Urban Renewal, 1950-1970.Boston: University Press of New England.ISBN9781555532468.OCLC231793654.
• Savage, Sean (2012).JFK, LBJ, and the Democratic Party.Albany: SUNY Press.ISBN9781423740223.OCLC62386293.

External links

• State Library of Massachusetts,"Massachusetts State Legislator's Papers Collections at the State Library",Mass.gov