The 1946 Massachusetts general election was held on November 5, 1946, throughout
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
.
Primary elections took place on June 18.
At the federal level, Republican
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. was elected to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
over incumbent Senator
David I. Walsh, and Republicans won nine of fourteen seats in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
. Future President of the United States
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
was elected to his first term in the House.
In the race for Governor, Republican Lt. Governor
Robert F. Bradford defeated incumbent Democrat
Maurice Tobin. Overall, Republicans won five of the six elected state-wide offices. Only incumbent Democratic Auditor
Thomas J. Buckley retained his office.
Governor
Republican Lieutenant Governor
Robert F. Bradford defeated incumbent Democratic Governor
Maurice Tobin. Tobin survived a Democratic primary challenge from attorney Francis Harrigan, while Bradford was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Lieutenant Governor
In the race for
lieutenant governor, Republican State Senator
Arthur W. Coolidge defeated Democratic former attorney general
Paul A. Dever.
Republican primary
State Senator Arthur W. Coolidge defeated
Lynn mayor Albert Cole in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor.
Democratic primary
Former Attorney General
Paul A. Dever defeated
Roger Putnam
Roger Lowell Putnam (December 19, 1893 – November 24, 1972) was an American politician and businessman. A member of the prominent Lowell family of Boston, he served as Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, from 1937 until 1943, and as director ...
, Daniel J. O'Connell, and
John B. Carr for the Democratic nomination for Lt. Governor.
General election
Secretary of the Commonwealth
Incumbent Republican
Secretary of the Commonwealth Frederic W. Cook ran for re-election to a thirteenth two-year term in office.
The Democratic Party nominated Benedict F. Fitzgerald Jr.
The Socialist Labor Party nominated Malcolm T. Rowe.
Democratic primary
General election
Attorney General
Incumbent Republican
Attorney General Clarence A. Barnes ran for re-election to a second consecutive term. He defeated Democratic former Lt. Governor
Francis E. Kelly in the general election.
Democratic primary
General election
Treasurer and Receiver-General
Incumbent Democratic
Treasurer and Receiver-General John E. Hurley
John E. Hurley (November 3, 1906 – September 22, 1992) was an American politician who served as a Massachusetts State Representative, and the Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts.
Early life and education
Hurley was born on Buttonwo ...
ran for re-election to a second term in office. He was defeated by Republican former State Senator
Laurence Curtis
Laurence Curtis (September 3, 1893 – July 11, 1989) was an American attorney and Republican Party politician from Massachusetts.
Early life, military service, and education
Laurence Curtis was born in Boston, Massachusetts on September 3, 18 ...
.
The Prohibition Party nominated Charles H. Vaughn, and the Socialist Labor party nominated Lawrence Gilfedder.
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Auditor
Incumbent Democratic
Auditor
An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting and a ...
Thomas J. Buckley ran for re-election to a fourth term in office. He was re-elected narrowly over Republican
Russell A. Wood.
The Prohibition Party nominated Robert A. Simmons, and the Socialist Labor Party nominated Pearl A. Votano.
Republican primary
Candidates
* Wallace E. Stearns, resident of the
Back Bay
Back Bay is an officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the availability in the city at the time, and t ...
and member of the Young Republicans
*
Russell A. Wood, former Auditor and State Representative
Results
General election
United States Senate
Incumbent Democratic Senator
David I. Walsh ran for re-election to a fourth term. He was defeated by former Senator
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., who had resigned from Massachusetts's other Senate seat in order to serve in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
United States House of Representatives
All of Massachusetts' fourteen seats in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
were up for election in 1946.
Nine seats were won by Republican Party candidates.
Twelve seats were won by candidates seeking re-election. The 4th District seat (based in Worcester) was won by Democrat
Harold Donohue, defeating incumbent Republican
Pehr Holmes. The 11th District seat (based in Boston and Cambridge) was won by
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
after incumbent
James Michael Curley
James Michael Curley (November 20, 1874 – November 12, 1958) was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served four terms as mayor of Boston. He also served a single term as governor of Massachusetts, characterized ...
vacated the seat to become Mayor of Boston.
See also
*
155th Massachusetts General Court (1947–1948)
References
External links
{{Massachusetts elections
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...