Edward Joseph DeSaulnier Jr. (January 8, 1921 – April 20, 1989) was an American politician and judge from the

commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

of Massachusetts. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1949 to 1957, in the Massachusetts Senate from 1957 to 1958, and on the Massachusetts Superior Court from 1958 to 1972. His son, Mark DeSaulnier, is a member of the United States House of Representatives from California.

Early life

DeSaulnier was from Chelmsford, Massachusetts, the son of a

French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

immigrant. He attended the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest ...

, then during World War II, served as a

combat pilot A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and d ...

in the United States Marine Corps; he served during the

Battle of Iwo Jima The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJ ...

. After the war, he graduated from the

Boston University School of Law Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an eli ...

Career

DeSaulnier served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1949 to 1957, then served one term in the Massachusetts Senate. Governor Foster Furcolo appointed DeSaulnier to the Massachusetts Superior Court in December 1958. In 1971, DeSaulnier was accused of accepting bribes from a criminal defendant. Although the statute of limitations meant he could not be charged, he was disbarred by the

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the court of last resort, highest court in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the di ...

on January 11, 1972, and resigned his judgeship. After his disbarment, DeSaulnier worked for a company that sold

bulletproof vest A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso from firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. T ...

s. He developed alcoholism, recovered, and then earned a degree from Rutgers University's School of Alcohol Studies and became deputy director of Broward County, Florida's commission on alcoholism. He petitioned the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers to reinstate his law license in 1979, but his request was denied in 1980. In 1981, the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

hired him to consult on issues around

substance abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

Personal life and death

DeSaulnier and his wife, Virginia, had five children, including Mark DeSaulnier, a U.S. Congressman from California. They raced horses under the name Claymore Stables. The marriage ended in divorce; he remarried and was divorced a second time after moving to Florida. DeSaulnier, who also had a gambling problem, died in 1989 in his home in

Juno Beach, Florida Juno Beach is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Its population was 3,176 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was estimated at 3,648. Juno Beach is home to the headquarters of Florid ...

, by a self-inflicted gunshot. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desaulnier, Edward 1989 deaths People from Chelmsford, Massachusetts Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Massachusetts state senators Massachusetts Superior Court justices College of the Holy Cross alumni Boston University School of Law alumni United States Marine Corps pilots of World War II 1921 births Suicides by firearm in Florida 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American judges Military personnel from Massachusetts Disbarred Massachusetts lawyers

Early life

Career

Personal life and death

See also

References