Herbert L. Connolly (1922–1995) was an American auto dealer and politician who was a member of the

Massachusetts Governor's Council The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Council ...

from 1969 to 1989.

Early life

Connolly was born on February 28, 1922, 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 ...

. He attended Boston Public Schools and graduated from

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 ...

. After graduation, Connolly worked as an instructor at the Wentworth Institute. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in the

European theater The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

Business career

After the war, Connolly joined his family's auto business in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, then called Herb Connolly Buick. In 1974, the business moved to

Framingham Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popul ...

. He also established Herb Connolly Acura in Framingham.

Politics

In 1962, Connolly was a candidate for

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 ...

. He lost to Francis X. Belotti 57% to 43% in the Democratic primary. After the loss, Connolly served as a secretary to Governor

Endicott Peabody Endicott Howard Peabody (February 15, 1920 – December 2, 1997) was an American politician from Massachusetts. A Democrat, he served a single two-year term as the 62nd Governor of Massachusetts, from 1963 to 1965. His tenure is probably b ...

. He ran for Lieutenant Governor a second time in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

, but once again lost the in primary, this time to Joseph E. McGuire 55% to 45%. In 1968, Connolly was elected to the Massachusetts Governor's Council. In 1988 he lost the Democratic primary to Lowell City Councilor Robert B. Kennedy by one vote - 14,716 to 14,715. At the time of his defeat, Connolly's residency was being challenged by Republican candidate Jody Dow. The address Connolly used on the ballot was a

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...

home that he had sold in May 1981. He insisted that he had kept an apartment at the Newton home and used it as his voting address. He and his family moved to a smaller house in Framingham in the early 1980s when car sales dipped. Framingham was not in Connolly's district. Connolly would later admit that he had not voted for himself because he was busy campaigning and did not get to the polls until after they had closed.

Personal life

Connolly was married to Mary Uhl. They had had three sons. Connolly was active in many charitable organizations. For 25 years he was president of

United Cerebral Palsy United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) is an international nonprofit charitable organization consisting of a network of affiliates. UCP is a leading service provider and advocate for adults and children with disabilities. As one of the largest health nonpro ...

of Greater Boston. He also served as a director of the Massachusetts Cancer Control Clinic, the Kennedy Memorial Hospital, the Denver Jewish Hospital, Massachusetts Association of the Blind, the Massachusetts Kidney Foundation, the Children's Asthma Research Institute, and the Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce.

Death

Connolly died on April 8, 1995, at his home in Framingham.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Connolly, Herb 1922 births 1995 deaths Boston University alumni Massachusetts Democrats Members of the Massachusetts Governor's Council Politicians from Boston People from Framingham, Massachusetts Politicians from Newton, Massachusetts 20th-century American politicians Massachusetts automobile salespeople