A Massachusetts general election was held on November 6, 1956, in the
.
The election included:
*
statewide elections for
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
,
lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
,
attorney general
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
,
Secretary of the Commonwealth,
treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance.
Government
The treasury o ...
, and
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 au ...
;
*
district elections for
U.S. 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 ...
,
state representatives,
state senators, and
Governor's Councillors; and
*
ballot questions at the state and local levels.
Democratic and Republican candidates were selected in party primaries held on September 18, 1956.
Governor
Democrat
Foster Furcolo
John Foster Furcolo (July 29, 1911 – July 5, 1995) was an American lawyer, writer, and Democratic Party politician from Massachusetts. He was the state's 60th governor, and also represented the state as a member of the United States House of ...
was elected over Republican
Sumner G. Whittier, Socialist Labor candidate
Henning A. Blomen
Henning A. Blomen (September 28, 1910 – July 14, 1993) was an American politician who was candidate for President of the United States, United States President of the Socialist Labor Party of America in 1968 United States presidential election ...
, and Prohibition candidate
Mark R. Shaw.
Lieutenant governor
Incumbent lieutenant governor Sumner Whitter ran for governor.
Democrat
Robert F. Murphy was elected lieutenant governor over Republican
Charles Gibbons
Charles Gibbons (born July 21, 1901 – February 2, 1968) was a U.S. politician who served as the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1953 to 1955 as a Republican. , he was the last Republican to serve as Speaker of the Ma ...
, Socialist Labor candidate Francis A. Votano, and Prohibition candidate Harold E. Bassett.
Republican primary
Candidates
*
Charles Gibbons
Charles Gibbons (born July 21, 1901 – February 2, 1968) was a U.S. politician who served as the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1953 to 1955 as a Republican. , he was the last Republican to serve as Speaker of the Ma ...
, former
Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
This is a list of speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the full House through ...
Results
Gibbons was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Democratic primary
Candidates
*
James A. Burke, former state representative from
Milton
Milton may refer to:
Names
* Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname)
** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet
* Milton (given name)
** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...
and candidate for lieutenant Gtovernor in 1954
*
Robert F. Murphy, former House Minority Leader and nominee for governor in 1954
*
George A. Wells,
executive councilor
Results
General election
Results
Attorney general
Republican
attorney general
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
George Fingold
George Fingold (October 18, 1908 – August 31, 1958) was an American politician from Massachusetts who served as Attorney General of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1958.
Fingold's political career began at the age of 21 when he was elected to the ...
was re-elected over Democrat
Edward J. McCormack Jr.
Edward Joseph McCormack Jr. (August 29, 1923 – February 27, 1997), was an American attorney and politician from Massachusetts. He was most notable for serving as Massachusetts Attorney General from 1959 through 1963.
Personal life and educat ...
, Socialist Workers candidate Fred M. Ingersol, and Prohibition candidate
Howard Rand Howard Rand, also known as Howard B. Rand and Howard Benjamin Rand (June 13, 1889 – October 17, 1991) was a lawyer, inventor, and three-time candidate for Massachusetts state office on the Prohibition Party ticket, He headed the former Anglo-Sax ...
in the general election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
* Edward J. McCormack Jr.
* Joseph D. Ward
General election
Candidates
* George Fingold, incumbent attorney general (Republican)
* Fred M. Ingersoll (Socialist Workers)
* Edward J. McCormack Jr. (Democratic)
* Howard Rand (Prohibition)
Results
Secretary of the Commonwealth
Incumbent
Secretary of the Commonwealth Edward J. Cronin defeated Republican
Senate President
President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies.
The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ex ...
Richard I. Furbush, Prohibition candidate
Earl Dodge
Earl Farwell Dodge Jr. (December 24, 1932 – November 7, 2007) was an American politician who served as the Prohibition Party's chairman and presidential candidate from the 1984 to 2000 presidential elections and later ran with the nominatio ...
, and Socialist Labor candidate Lawrence Gilfedder in the general election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
* Edward J. Cronin, incumbent Secretary of the Commonwealth
* Robert Emmet Dinsmore
Results
General election
Candidates
*
Edward J. Cronin, incumbent Secretary of the Commonwealth (Democratic)
*
Earl Dodge
Earl Farwell Dodge Jr. (December 24, 1932 – November 7, 2007) was an American politician who served as the Prohibition Party's chairman and presidential candidate from the 1984 to 2000 presidential elections and later ran with the nominatio ...
, executive secretary of the Massachusetts Prohibition Party (Prohibition)
*
Richard I. Furbush, president of the Massachusetts Senate (Republican)
* Lawrence Gilfedder (Socialist Workers)
Results
Treasurer and receiver-general
Incumbent
treasurer and receiver-general John Francis Kennedy defeated
Norwood Selectman
Clement A. Riley, John F. Buckley, John M. Kennedy, and Henry Joseph Hurley in the Democratic primary and Republican
Robert H. Beaudreau, Socialist Labor candidate Willy N. Hogseth, and Prohibition candidate Isaac Goddard in the general election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
* John F. Buckley
* Henry Joseph Hurley
*
John Francis Kennedy, incumbent treasurer and receiver-general
* John M. Kennedy
*
Clement A. Riley,
Norwood selectman and candidate for treasurer in 1954
Results
General election
Candidates
*
Robert H. Beaudreau, U.S. Marshal for the
District of Massachusetts
The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (in case citations, D. Mass.) is the federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The first court session was hel ...
(Republican)
* Isaac Goddard (Prohibition)
* Willy N. Hogseth (Socialist Workers)
*
John Francis Kennedy, incumbent treasurer and receiver-general (Democratic)
Results
Auditor
Incumbent
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 au ...
Thomas J. Buckley defeated Republican Joseph A. Nobile, Socialist Labor candidate Anthony Martin, and Prohibition candidate John B. Lauder in the general election.
General election
References
{{Massachusetts Elections