Gaspar Griswold Bacon, Sr. (March 7, 1886 – December 25, 1947) served on the board of overseers of

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, as the

President of the Massachusetts Senate The president of the Massachusetts Senate is the presiding officer. Unlike the United States Congress, in which the vice president of the United States is the ''ex officio'' president of the United States Senate, in Massachusetts, the president of ...

from 1929 to 1932 and as the 51st

lieutenant governor of Massachusetts The lieutenant governor of Massachusetts is the first in the line to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor following the incapacitation of the Governor of Massachusetts. The constitutional honorific title for the office is His ...

from 1933 to 1935.

Biography

Bacon was born in

Jamaica Plain, Boston Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood of in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of the former Town of Roxbury, now also a part of the City of Boston. The commu ...

, on March 7, 1886, to

Robert Bacon Robert Bacon (July 5, 1860 – May 29, 1919) was an American statesman and diplomat. He was also a leading banker and businessman who worked closely with Secretary of State Elihu Root, 1905-1909, and served as United States Secretary of Sta ...

. Bacon had a brother, Robert L. Bacon. Bacon received his undergraduate degree from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1908; he then went on to earn his law degree 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 ...

in 1912. In 1912, Bacon actively campaigned for

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

and the Progressive Party. He was involved in the founding of the

Military School at Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1919. He was also a lecturer on the staff of

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

in the late 1920s. In 1920, he was a supporter of

Leonard Wood Leonard Wood (October 9, 1860 – August 7, 1927) was a United States Army major general, physician, and public official. He served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba, and Governor-General of the Philippi ...

's campaign for the Republican nomination for president and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention that year. Bacon served in the Massachusetts State Senate in from 1925 to 1932.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 22 From 1933 to 1934, he was Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. In 1934, Bacon was the Republican nominee for Massachusetts Governor. An opponent of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, Bacon was defeated by Boston Mayor James Michael Curley. Bacon was in American forces sent to Mexico under

General Pershing General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the West ...

in 1916. Bacon was in the Field Artillery Officers' Reserve Corps, where he served as a captain and major during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. During World War II, Bacon was a lieutenant colonel on General George Patton's staff, where he served for three years and ten months, in the G5, as the chief of the Government Affairs Branch. Bacon died on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

, December 25, 1947, in

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...

. His funeral was held at St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church. He was buried in Walnut Hills Cemetery in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

Awards

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

*Legion of Honor

Family life

Bacon married Priscilla Toland on July 16, 1910, in St. Thomas' Church in Whitemarsh,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Bacon and his wife were the parents of three sons. One of Bacon's sons was the actor

Gaspar G. Bacon, Jr. David Bacon (born Gaspar Griswold Bacon, Jr., March 24, 1914 – September 12, 1943) was an American stage and film actor. Early life Bacon was born in Barnstable, Massachusetts, and his family was one of the prominent, politically acti ...

, better known as David Bacon.

Publications

*Bacon, Gaspar G. ''The Constitution of the United States in Some of Its Fundamental Aspects''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1928. *Bacon, Gaspar G. ''The Founding of the Town of Barnstable, Commonwealth of Massachusetts: 1639–1939, Tercentenary Address''. Barnstable, MA: ublisher not identified 1939. *Bacon, Gaspar G. ''Political Parties in the United States: Empty Bottles or Flowing Streams''. Boston, Mass. : ublisher not identified 1940. *Bacon, Gaspar G., and Wendell Dearborn Howie. ''One by One''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: arvard University Print. Office 1943.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bacon, Gaspar G. 1886 births 1947 deaths Harvard Law School alumni Massachusetts lawyers Lieutenant Governors of Massachusetts Republican Party Massachusetts state senators Presidents of the Massachusetts Senate Boston University faculty Massachusetts Progressives (1912) United States Army personnel of World War II Lawyers from Boston United States Army personnel of World War I Harvard College alumni People from Jamaica Plain

Biography

Awards

Family life

See also

Publications

References