Richard R. Silva
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Richard R. Silva (March 13, 1922 – January 27, 2009) was an American politician who was a member of the
Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...
and mayor of
Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...
.


Early life

Silva was born on March 13, 1922, in Gloucester to James and Ellen (Simmons) Silva. He attended Gloucester public schools and graduated from Gloucester High School in 1939. 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 as a signalman in the
United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
. After the war Silva was a service technician for the
Massachusetts Electric Company National Grid plc is a British multinational electricity and gas utility company headquartered in London, England. Its principal activities are in the United Kingdom, where it owns and operates electricity and natural gas transmission networks ...
.


Political career

From 1963 to 1971, Silva served on the Gloucester School Committee. He served as the committee's vice-chairman for three years. In 1970, Silva was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives by upsetting David E. Harrison, a Gloucester Democrat who had been chosen by Senator
Edward M. Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...
to serve as Chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party. During his campaign, Silva emphasized Harrison's absentee record and his opposition to cutting the number of representatives in the Massachusetts House from 240 to 160, a proposal that Gloucester voters overwhelmingly supported. During his tenure, Silva including established and chaired of the New England Committee for the 200-mile limit, filed legislation which established two ocean sanctuaries, filed legislation for the development of Gloucester Harbor, co-sponsored the "Bottle Bill," proposed the Commonwealth obtain a decommissioned US Navy ship and convert it into a minimum security prison, and introduced a bill that would make the
Right whale Right whales are three species of large baleen whales of the genus ''Eubalaena'': the North Atlantic right whale (''E. glacialis''), the North Pacific right whale (''E. japonica'') and the Southern right whale (''E. australis''). They are clas ...
Massachusetts' official marine mammal. While serving in the House, Silva was a director of the Gloucester Little League, Addison Gilbert Hospital, and Sawyer Free Library. From 1984 to 1988, Silva was mayor of Gloucester. During his tenure he budgeted funds for the refurbishment of Newell Stadium and reached a deal to the keep the
National Marine Fisheries Service The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), informally known as NOAA Fisheries, is a United States federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that is responsible for the stew ...
office in Gloucester.


Later life and death

After leaving office, Silva served chairman of the Gloucester Fisheries Commission, was a director of the Sawyer Free Library, and was appointed by the Speaker of the House to study hazardous waste facing the shellfish industry. Silva died on January 27, 2009, in Gloucester.


See also

* Massachusetts House of Representatives' 5th Essex district


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silva, Richard R 1922 births 2009 deaths School board members in Massachusetts Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Mayors of Gloucester, Massachusetts Military personnel from Massachusetts 20th-century American legislators United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II 20th-century Massachusetts politicians American people of Portuguese descent