Richard Robert Caples (December 23, 1921 – April 28, 2002) was an American politician who served as Massachusetts public safety commissioner.

Early life

Caples was born on December 23, 1921, in Boston. He attended the Brighton High School, Princeton University, and 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 ...

. He served in the United States Navy during World War II and was a member of the Naval Reserve for 27 years.

Political career

Caples was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1951 to 1959 and the Massachusetts Senate from 1959 to 1963. He then served as a legislative aide to Massachusetts Governor Endicott Peabody.

Public safety Commissioner

Peabody lost his reelection bid in 1964 and spent his final days appointing aides to government positions. Peabody had until December 31 to legally make an appointment that could not be recalled by his successor, but due to Christmas break, this deadline was pushed to midnight on December 23. Men who held Caples position were usually appointed to judgeships, however there were no vacancies available. On December 22, it was announced that public safety commissioner Robert W. MacDonald had resigned and Caples would succeed him. Caples and his family arrived at the Governor's office for his swearing in, however, MacDonald showed up and announced that he never intended to resign. MacDonald's wife, however, convinced her husband to return to his law practice and at 11:35 pm on December 22, Caples was sworn in. Caples appointment was to fill the unexpired term of

Frank S. Giles Frank S. Giles Jr. (born June 15, 1915, in Methuen, Massachusetts – died March 2, 1991, in Burlington, Massachusetts ) was a politician who was a Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts Public Safety Commis ...

, who had been suspended since his indictment on charges of conspiracy, larceny, aiding and abetting in making false reports, and conflict of interest. However, Giles resigned on September 27, 1965, and Governor

John A. Volpe John Anthony Volpe (; December 8, 1908November 11, 1994) was an American businessman, diplomat, and politician from Massachusetts. A son of Italian immigrants, he founded and owned a large construction firm. Politically, he was a Republican in i ...

appointed Leo L. Laughlin to succeed him. Caples claimed that he could not legally be replaced until the expiration of Giles' term on July 20, 1966, and refused to give up his office. Laughlin instead took a temporary office in the agency's headquarters while Caples pursued legal action. On September 30, 1965, Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Harry T. Kalus refused to issue an injunction to prevent the Secretary of the Commonwealth from issuing Laughlin's commission and Laughlin moved into the commissioner's office. Kalus later ruled that Laughlin was "the legally and duly qualified Commissioner of Public Safety". His decision was affirmed 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 ...

Later career

Caples practiced law in Boston for many years and during the 1970s also served as an assistant attorney general under

Robert H. Quinn Robert Henry Quinn (1928-2014) was a Massachusetts attorney and politician. Early life Quinn was born January 30, 1928, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the youngest of seven children. When Quinn was six his father died. Quinn received a sch ...

. He later retired to Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, where he worked as a real estate broker. Caples died on April 28, 2002, in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caples, Robert 1921 births 2002 deaths 20th-century American legislators United States Navy personnel of World War II Boston University School of Law alumni Princeton University alumni Massachusetts lawyers Democratic Party Massachusetts state senators Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Politicians from Boston People from Wolfeboro, New Hampshire United States Navy reservists Military personnel from Massachusetts 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century Massachusetts politicians

Early life

Political career

Public safety Commissioner

Later career

See also

References