Allison G. Catheron was a Canadian-born American politician who served in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

Early life

Catheron was born on June 26, 1878, in

Kempt, Nova Scotia Kempt is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the Region of Queens Municipality. Kempt is named after General Sir James Kempt, who served as Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia The lieutenant governor of Nova Scoti ...

. His family moved to

Beverly, Massachusetts Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, and a suburb of Boston. The population was 42,670 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the Massachusetts North Shore, Beverly incl ...

, during his youth. Catheron attended

Beverly High School Beverly High School is one of two four-year public high schools in Beverly, Massachusetts, United States, the other being the smaller Northshore Academy. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,300 students and is accredited by the Massachuset ...

and graduated from Bates College in 1900. From 1900 to 1902 he was principal of Norwell High School in

Norwell, Massachusetts Norwell is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,351 at the 2020 United States census. The town's southeastern border runs along the North River (Massachusetts Bay), North R ...

. Catheron earned an LLB from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

Political career

From 1913 to 1916, Catheron represented the 20th Essex District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. On December 18, 1916, he was appointed chief probation officer for the Suffolk County Superior Criminal Court. His appointment was protested by District Attorney

Joseph C. Pelletier Joseph C. Pelletier (April 25, 1872 – March 25, 1924) was district attorney of Suffolk County, Massachusetts, and the Supreme Advocate of the Knights of Columbus. He was removed as district attorney and disbarred for blackmail and extortion. E ...

, who believed that the position should've gone to someone who resided within Suffolk County. He also accused Catheron of being a member of the American Protective Association. ''

The Pilot A pilot is a person who flies or navigates an aircraft. Pilot or The Pilot may also refer to: * Maritime pilot, a person who guides ships through hazardous waters * Television pilot, a television episode used to sell a series to a television netw ...

'', the official newspaper of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston The Archdiocese of Boston ( la, Archidiœcesis Bostoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New England region of the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the whole of ...

criticized Catheron's appointment in an editorial entitled "Bigotry Rewarded. An Unfortunate Appointment". Catheron denied being a member of the APA and stated that he was "incapable of prejudice". Boston Mayor

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 ...

ordered his Corporation Counsel to investigate the legality of Catheron's appointment and ordered the City Auditor to withhold his pay until the investigation was concluded. On July 2, 1917, the

Massachusetts Supreme Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the distinction of being the oldest continuously functi ...

ruled that Catheron's appointment was legal. Catheron also served on the Beverly School Committee and the State Commission on Probation.

Later life

Catheron was a partner at Ropes, Gray, Boyden & Perkins. He died on January 8, 1950. At the time of his death, Catheron resided in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Catheron, Allison G 1878 births 1950 deaths Bates College alumni Canadian emigrants to the United States Harvard Law School alumni Massachusetts lawyers Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives People from Beverly, Massachusetts People from Wellesley, Massachusetts People from Queens County, Nova Scotia American school principals School board members in Massachusetts 20th-century American legislators Beverly High School alumni Ropes & Gray partners 20th-century Massachusetts politicians

Early life

Political career

Later life

See also

References