Albert William Cretella (April 22, 1897 – May 24, 1979) was a U.S. Representative from Connecticut.

Early life

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Italian immigrants, Cretella attended the public schools of New Haven. He graduated from Yale University in 1917. He entered Yale Law School but interrupted studies and enlisted in the United States Navy June 18, 1918, and was in officers training school when the armistice was signed. He reentered Yale Law School and graduated in 1921. He was admitted to the Connecticut bar the same year and began practice in New Haven.

Political career

Cretella moved to North Haven in 1926 and served as prosecuting attorney 1931–1945 and

town counsel A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

1931–1970, excluding the years 1946 and 1947. He served as member of the Connecticut House of Representatives 1947–1952. Cretella was elected as a Republican to the Eighty-third and to the two succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1959). Cretella voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights legislation passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwigh ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1958 to the

Eighty-sixth Congress The 86th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1959 ...

and for election in 1960 to the

Eighty-seventh Congress The 87th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, ...

, after which he returned to the practice of law. He died in New Haven, Connecticut, May 24, 1979, and was interred in St. Lawrence Cemetery, West Haven, Connecticut.

References

* Retrieved on 2009-02-28 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cretella, Albert William 1897 births 1979 deaths Yale Law School alumni Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Connecticut lawyers American prosecutors Politicians from New Haven, Connecticut United States Navy sailors 20th-century American politicians People from North Haven, Connecticut Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut 20th-century American lawyers American people of Italian descent