William Lawrence Saltonstall (May 14, 1927 – January 23, 2009), an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician, was a member of the Massachusetts Senate from 1967 to 1979. He was a Republican and a resident of

Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts Manchester-by-the-Sea (also known simply as Manchester, its name prior to 1989) is a coastal town on Cape Ann, in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is known for scenic beaches and vista points. According to the 2020 population ...

. He led an unsuccessful campaign in 1969 to represent

Massachusetts's 6th congressional district Massachusetts's 6th congressional district is located in northeastern Massachusetts. It contains most of Essex County, including the North Shore and Cape Ann, as well as part of Middlesex County. It is represented by Seth Moulton, who has repr ...

in the

U.S. 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 ...

Early life

Born in

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Chestnut Hill is an affluent New England village located west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is located within one or more incorporated municipal entities. It is located partia ...

, he was a son of

Leverett Saltonstall Leverett A. Saltonstall (September 1, 1892June 17, 1979) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He served three two-year terms as the List of Governors of Massachusetts, 55th Governor of Massachusetts, and for more than twent ...

(1892–1979), a

Massachusetts governor The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachusetts ...

and a

U.S. senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

. He was a member of the

Saltonstall family The Saltonstall family is a Boston Brahmin family from the U.S. state of Massachusetts, notable for having had a family member attend Harvard University from every generation since Nathaniel Saltonstall—later one of the more principled judges a ...

, a Boston Brahmin family from the U.S. state of Massachusetts, notable for having had a family member attend

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 ...

from every generation since 1659 when Nathaniel Saltonstall graduated, who later served as one of the judges at the Salem Witch Trials. The family traces its wealth back to the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

and political connections to the

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...

in the 16th century. Upon migrating to England's North American colonies the family established strong political roots in Massachusetts. While the Saltonstall men were known to join the U.S. Army, he instead enlisted the U.S. Navy on his eighteenth birthday. His first day of service was

V-J Day Victory over Japan Day (also known as V-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day) is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. The term has been applied to both of the days on ...

in 1945. With

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 ...

at its end, Saltonstall enrolled 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 ...

, from which he graduated in 1949. He later graduated from

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

Career

After working as a security analyst for seven years, Saltonstall worked at his father's U.S. Senate office in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He returned to Massachusetts in 1966 where he ran for the state Senate. He won, and went on to represent the Third Essex district from 1967 to 1975 and the First Essex and Middlesex district from 1975 to 1979. One of his top priorities was bicycle safety due to the death of his daughter, Claire. Saltonstall ran for the U.S. House in a 1969 special election to succeed the deceased

William H. Bates William Henry Bates (April 26, 1917 – June 22, 1969) was a member of the United States House of Representatives notable for his staunch support of the United States Navy. Life and career Bates was born in Salem, Massachusetts, the son of Nora ...

from the 6th Massachusetts district, but lost to

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Michael J. Harrington. Saltonstall chose to leave politics citing "family issues," but news reports at the time suggested Mr. Saltonstall chose to exit the public stage so he would not be required to disclose details of the family's trust, which would have been required under newly passed ethics legislation.

Personal life

Saltonstall married Jane Chandler in 1953. They had three children, Abigail, Claire, and William, Jr. Claire was struck and killed by an automobile driver in 1974 while she was riding her bicycle. The

Claire Saltonstall Bikeway The Claire Saltonstall Bikeway, also known as the Boston to Cape Cod Bikeway, is a 135-mile bikeway marked as Bike Route 1 that starts on the Charles River Bike Path near Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts and winds along Boston's Emerald ...

from Boston's

Emerald Necklace The Emerald Necklace consists of a chain of parks linked by parkways and waterways in Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts. It was designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, and gets its name from the way the planned chain appears ...

to Provincetown is named in her memory. On a Friday evening in January 2009, after returning home from dinner with his wife, Saltonstall died "of an apparent heart attack or blood clot".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saltonstall, William Lawrence Republican Party Massachusetts state senators Harvard Business School alumni Harvard College alumni United States Navy sailors People from Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts 1927 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American politicians