Ella Rosa Giovianna Oliva Grasso (née Tambussi; May 10, 1919 – February 5, 1981) was an American politician and member of the
Democratic Party who served as the
83rd Governor of
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...
from January 8, 1975, to December 31, 1980, after rejecting past offers of candidacies for
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and Governor. She was the first woman elected to this office and the first woman to be elected governor of a
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
without having been the spouse or widow of a former governor. She resigned as governor due to her battle with
ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different ...
.
Grasso started in politics as a member of the
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...
and Democratic speechwriter. She was first elected to the
Connecticut House of Representatives
The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...
in 1952 and later became the first female
Floor Leader in 1955. She was then elected as
Secretary of the State of Connecticut
The secretary of the State of Connecticut is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Connecticut. (The definite article is part of the legal job title.) It is an elected position in the state government and has a term length of four ...
in 1958 and served until 1971. Grasso went on to serve two terms 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 ...
from 1970 to 1974. Then she was elected Governor in 1974 and re-elected in 1978.
Early life
Ella Rosa Giovianna Oliva Tambussi was born in
Windsor Locks, Connecticut
Windsor Locks is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 12,613. It is the site of Bradley International Airport, which serves the Greater Hartford-Springfield region and occupies approxi ...
, to
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
immigrant parents Maria Oliva and James Giacomo Tambussi, a mill worker.
Ella Tambussi learned to speak fluent Italian from her parents.
She attended
Chaffee School in Windsor.
Although she excelled at Chaffee and was named most likely to become mayor in the school year book, Tambussi claimed she often felt out of place as someone from a poor mill town.
She went on to study sociology and economics at
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a private liberal arts women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It is the oldest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite historically women's colleges in the Northeastern United States. ...
, in
South Hadley, Massachusetts
South Hadley (, ) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,150 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.
South Hadley is home to Mount Holyoke Colleg ...
, where she earned her B.A. in 1940.
Two years later, she earned a master's degree, also from Mount Holyoke.
After graduation, Grasso served as a researcher for the War Manpower Commission in
Washington, D.C., rising to the position of assistant director of research before leaving the Commission in 1946.
She married Thomas Grasso, a school principal, in 1942; they had two children, Susanne and James.
Together the Grassos owned a movie theater in
Old Lyme.
In the summers, the couple would operate the theater, with Ella Grasso selling tickets at the box office.
During Grasso's tenure in the United States House of Representatives, her family remained in Connecticut while Grasso commuted home from
Washington, D.C., on weekends.
Thomas Grasso retired when his wife became governor.
Career
Early politics
Grasso's entry into politics came in 1942 when she joined the League of Women Voters. In 1943, she became a speechwriter for the Connecticut Democratic Party.
After graduating from Mount Holyoke College she joined the
Republicans until she switched in 1951 to the
Democratic Party to support incumbent Governor
Chester Bowles
Chester Bliss Bowles (April 5, 1901 – May 25, 1986) was an American diplomat and ambassador, governor of Connecticut, congressman and co-founder of a major advertising agency, Benton & Bowles, now part of Publicis Groupe. Bowles is best known f ...
. Through the Connecticut Democratic Party, she met and became an ally of
John Moran Bailey.
Bailey would become a key figure in Grasso's career, recognizing her as someone who could appeal to voters, particularly women and Italian voters in the state.
In 1952, Grasso was elected to the
Connecticut House of Representatives
The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...
and served until 1957.
She became first woman to be elected
Floor Leader of the House in 1955.
As a state representative, Grasso worked to eliminate counties as a level of government in Connecticut.
Secretary of State
In 1958 she was elected
Secretary of the State of Connecticut
The secretary of the State of Connecticut is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Connecticut. (The definite article is part of the legal job title.) It is an elected position in the state government and has a term length of four ...
and was re-elected in 1962 and 1966. She was an architect of the state's
1960 Constitution.
In 1961 she chose not to attend the national convention for the
National Association of Secretaries of State in Arizona despite the trip being state funded, as she considered it to be of negligible value and would only approve other officials to go to national conventions that would benefit the state.
In 1962 the Supreme Court ruled in
Baker v. Carr that the 14th Amendment applies to state apportionment and that federal courts are open to lawsuits challenging state legislative districts leading to further lawsuits over
redistricting
Redistribution (re-districting in the United States and in the Philippines) is the process by which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. Redistribution is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral distri ...
. After
Reynolds v. Sims the Joint Committee on Constitutional Conventions to hear proposals for a constitutional convention by the
Connecticut General Assembly
The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. ...
to bring the state constitution in line with federal rulings. A special election was ordered to choose the eighty four delegates that would attend the convention and Grasso was elected as one. As Secretary of State, Grasso swore in the eighty four delegates divided equally among both parties and was selected as Democratic floor leader by the forty two Democratic delegates.
She was the first woman to chair the
Democratic State Platform Committee and served from 1956 to 1968. She served as a member of the Platform Drafting Committee for the 1960
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...
.
She was the co-chairman for the Resolutions Committee for the Democratic National Conventions of 1964 and 1968.
U.S. House of Representatives
During the 1970 election cycle she was considered a candidate for higher statewide or federal office. After Senator
Thomas J. Dodd
Thomas Joseph Dodd (May 15, 1907 – May 24, 1971) was an American attorney and diplomat who served as a United States Senator and Representative from Connecticut. He is the father of former U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd and Thomas J. Dodd Jr., ...
was censured in 1967 his seat was left up and Ella was considered a possible candidate for the
1970 Senate race with the Democratic Town Committees of Windsor Locks, Glastonbury, and New Milford voting to endorse her if she would announce a Senate campaign. Thomas L. Loy, her Republican opponent for Secretary of State in 1962, asked her to run for governor.
Stephen Minot, a novelist who had run for Congress in 1966, asked her to run for the Sixth House District. Sitting Sixth District Congressman
Thomas Meskill
Thomas Joseph Meskill Jr. (January 30, 1928 – October 29, 2007) was a longtime United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He previously served as the 82nd governor of Connecticut, as a United S ...
chose to run for governor leaving his district open and on March 17, 1970 Ella announced that she would run for the Democratic nomination for that district. Grasso faced Republican Richard Kilborn in the general election and narrowly defeated him by 4,063 votes.
During her tenure, she served on the
Veterans' Affairs and
Education and Labor House committees. In December 1971 she and other House members signed a telegram to President Nixon protesting
Operation Linebacker II
Operation Linebacker II was an aerial bombing campaign conducted by U.S. Seventh Air Force, Strategic Air Command and U.S. Navy Task Force 77 against targets in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam ( North Vietnam) during the final period of ...
and asking to halt all bombing in Vietnam; Grasso was the only representative from Connecticut to sign the telegram.
She was reelected to the House in 1972 against John F. Walsh with 140,290 votes to his 92,783 votes.
Governorship
In 1973 a gubernatorial poll conducted by the
AFL–CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...
projected that Grasso would defeat incumbent Governor Meskill by 46% to 39% and a campaign committee was later organized although Grasso had not yet announced her intention to run. On January 8, 1974 she announced that she would run for the
governorship
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 ...
and filed with the secretary of state.
In order to secure the gubernatorial nomination, a candidate would need to receive the support of 607 out of 1,213 delegates to the state convention with multiple primaries being held beforehand to select the delegates. She participated in a difficult primary against Attorney General
Robert Killian who received the support of multiple party leaders, but after narrowly winning the seventy delegates of Hartford by two thousand votes she effectively secured the nomination with her pledged delegates. Democratic Party leader
John Moran Bailey preferred Killian as the party nominee and hoping to avoid a primary that would negatively effect the Democratic nominee's chance in the general election Bailey convinced Killian to drop out in exchange for the lieutenant gubernatorial nomination. By the time of the gubernatorial nomination balloting all of her opponents had dropped out except for
Norwalk Mayor
Frank Zullo
Frank N. Zullo (June 3, 1932 – May 26, 2018) was a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic List of mayors of Norwalk, Connecticut, mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut. At 33, he was the youngest person to be elected mayor in History of Norwalk, ...
who dropped out during the convention, and as she was the only candidate to receive at least twenty percent of the delegate votes appearing on the primary ballot no primary was held. On July 20, 1974 she was given the Democratic nomination by the delegates with
acclamation
An acclamation is a form of election that does not use a ballot. It derives from the ancient Roman word ''acclamatio'', a kind of ritual greeting and expression of approval towards imperial officials in certain social contexts.
Voting Voice vot ...
. Her opponent was Republican Representative
Robert Steele who she defeated by 200,000 votes.
Grasso became the first woman to be elected governor who was not the wife or widow of a previous governor.
Upon taking office, Connecticut had an $80 million budget deficit so Grasso promised fiscal responsibility. In 1975 she laid off 505 state employees, decreased her promise of giving $25 million to cities with
federal revenue sharing
Revenue sharing is the distribution of revenue, the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services among the stakeholders or contributors. It should not be confused with profit shares, in which scheme only the profit is sha ...
money to $6 million, returned to the state treasury a $7,000 raise she was legally required to take and sold the state's limo and plane.
During the 1976 presidential election she supported Senator
Henry M. Jackson
Henry Martin "Scoop" Jackson (May 31, 1912 – September 1, 1983) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. representative (1941–1953) and U.S. senator (1953–1983) from the state of Washington. A Cold War liberal and a ...
in the
primaries
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the c ...
and was presented as a possible
vice presidential nominee for the Democratic Party with the
Young Democrats of Connecticut attempting to convince her to present herself as a possible vice presidential candidate although municipal leaders angry over the decreased federal revenue sharing funds promised to prevent her nomination and she stated that she was not interested. She later served as co-chair of the
national convention
The National Convention (french: link=no, Convention nationale) was the parliament of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for the rest of its existence during the French Revolution, following the two-year Nationa ...
.
Following
John Moran Bailey's death there was no longer someone strong enough to forestall a primary challenge between Grasso and Lieutenant Governor
Robert K. Killian
Robert Kenneth Killian (September 15, 1919 – June 25, 2005) was an American politician from Connecticut.
Early life and education
Killian was born in Hartford in 1919. He served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army for four years ...
. In December 1978 Killian announced his gubernatorial campaign, but after defeating his primary challenge, Grasso was re-elected in
1978 with little difficulty against Representative
Ronald A. Sarasin
Ronald Arthur Sarasin (born December 31, 1934) is a former American politician from Connecticut. He served two terms in the Connecticut House of Representatives and three terms as a U.S. Representative.
Early life and career
Born in Fall River ...
.
A high point of her career was her decisive handling of a particularly devastating snowstorm in February 1978. Known as "Winter Storm Larry" and now known as "
The Blizzard of 78" this storm dropped around 30 inches of snow across the state, crippling highways and making virtually all roads impassable. She "Closed the State" by proclamation, forbade all use of public roads by businesses and citizens, and closed all businesses, effectively closing all citizens in their homes. This relieved the rescue and cleanup authorities from the need to help the mounting number of stuck cars and instead allowed clean-up and emergency services for shut-ins to proceed. The crisis ended on the third day, and she received accolades from all state sectors for her leadership and strength.
In March 1980, she was diagnosed with
ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different ...
and resigned the governorship on December 31. Shortly before her resignation the mayor and city council of
Torrington, Connecticut
Torrington is the most populated municipality and only city in Litchfield County, Connecticut and the Northwest Hills region. It is also the core city of Greater Torrington, one of the largest micropolitan areas in the United States. The city p ...
, signed a proclamation thanking her for her service as governor, secretary of state, and representative.
Death and legacy
On February 5, 1981, less than a year after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer and less than six weeks after leaving office, Grasso died at
Hartford Hospital
Hartford Hospital is an 938-bed acute care teaching hospital located in the South End of Hartford, Connecticut. Hartford Hospital was established in 1854. The hospital campus is located on Seymour Street in Hartford and is directly adjacent to the ...
after suffering a heart attack and organ failure after falling into a coma earlier in the day. She was survived by her husband and their two children. Following her death she was laid in state from February 8 to 9 at the
Connecticut State Capitol
The Connecticut State Capitol is located north of Capitol Avenue and south of Bushnell Park in Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. The building houses the Connecticut General Assembly; the upper house, the State Senate, and lower house, the Ho ...
and was later buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Windsor Locks.
In 1984,
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Ronald Reagan posthumously awarded her the
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...
, and the
National Women's Hall of Fame inducted her in 1993.
She was a member of the inaugural class inducted into the
Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame
The Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame (CWHF) recognizes women natives or residents of the U.S. state of Connecticut for their significant achievements or statewide contributions.
The CWHF had its beginnings in 1993 when a group of volunteers partn ...
in 1994; the Ella Tambussi Grasso Center for Women in Politics is located there.
Metro North named Shoreliner I car 6252 after her.
Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School
Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School, or Grasso Tech, is a technical high school located in Groton, Connecticut
Groton is a town in New London County, Connecticut located on the Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics El ...
in
Groton is named after her. The Ella T. Grasso Turnpike in
Windsor Locks is named after her, as are Ella Grasso Boulevard in
New Britain, the Ella T. Grasso building in the University of Connecticut's Hilltop Apartments, and Ella T. Grasso Boulevard (often referred to by New Haven locals simply as "The Boulevard") in New Haven.
Over two years after her death, Arch Communications Corp. won a construction permit for Hartford's channel 61 in September 1983; James Grasso was minority partner in Arch Communications. Arch Communications Corp. planned to memorialize Grasso by using the call letters "WETG" for channel 61, as Grasso's initials were ETG, however, Channel 61 came on the air September 17, 1984, as WTIC-TV, and was dedicated in Grasso's honor.
Electoral history
See also
*
List of female governors in the United States
As of November 2022, 45 women have served or are serving as the governor of a U.S. state (two acting governors due to vacancies) and three women have served or are serving as the governor of an unincorporated U.S. territory. Two women have ser ...
*
Women in the United States House of Representatives
Women have served in the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber, since the 1916 election of Republican Jeannette Rankin from Montana, the first woman in Con ...
References
Further reading
* Lieberman, Joseph I. ''The Legacy: Connecticut Politics, 1930–1980'' (1981).
* Purmont, Jon E. ''Ella Grasso: Connecticut's Pioneering Governor'' (2012)
* Whalen, Ardyce C. "The presentation of image in Ella T. Grasso's campaign." ''Communication Studies'' (1976) 27#3 pp: 207–211.
External links
Brief biography*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20130206004737/http://www.cslib.org/gov/grassoe.htm Connecticut State Library Biobr>
Photo of Grasso's Statue on the Connecticut State Capitol buildingthe first woman to be represented there Brief Bio of Governor Grasso
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grasso, Ella T.
1919 births
1981 deaths
20th-century American politicians
20th-century American women politicians
American politicians of Italian descent
Deaths from cancer in Connecticut
Deaths from ovarian cancer
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut
Democratic Party governors of Connecticut
Female members of the United States House of Representatives
Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives
Mount Holyoke College alumni
People from Windsor Locks, Connecticut
Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
Secretaries of the State of Connecticut
Women state governors of the United States
Women state legislators in Connecticut
Loomis Chaffee School alumni