John Anthony Notte Jr. (May 3, 1909 – March 7, 1983) was an American politician, a

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 ...

, best known for serving as the 65th

Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Democrat Dan McKee. In their capac ...

Biography

A son of John Anthony Notte and Eva Theresa (Rondina) Notte, he was born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

. He was married to Marie J. Huerth in 1934. The couple had two children together. Notte graduated from the

Boston University Law School 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 e ...

in 1935. He went on to practice law and served as town solicitor in North Providence in 1937. During his undergraduate years, Notte joined

Alpha Phi Delta Alpha Phi Delta (), commonly referred to as APD, is a Greek social fraternity that evolved from an exclusive Italian society, initially known as ''Il Circolo Italiano'' ("The Italian circle"), established at Syracuse University in 1914. Founding ...

. During World War II he served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and rose to the rank of lieutenant. Just after return to home he was elected Chairman of the Rhode Island Veterans' Bonus Board. From 1949 to 1950 he served as State Commander of the Rhode Island Department of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He later served as a member of staff of Senator

Theodore F. Green Theodore Francis Green (October 2, 1867May 19, 1966) was an American politician from Rhode Island. A Democrat, Green served as the 57th Governor of Rhode Island (1933–1937) and in the United States Senate (1937–1961). He was a wealthy ari ...

from 1948 to 1956, and as Chairman of the North Providence Democratic town committee. Notte resigned from Green's staff after he was elected Secretary of State, a post he held from 1957 to 1958. He was a delegate to the

1960 Democratic National Convention The 1960 Democratic National Convention was held in Los Angeles, California, on July 11–15, 1960. It nominated Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts for president and Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas for vice president. In ...

and became the 57th Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island in 1959 and served until 1961 under Republican Christopher Del Sesto (Rhode Island Governor and his deputy are elected at the separate ballots).

Governorship

Notte was elected Governor in 1960, defeating Del Sesto, and held this post from January 3, 1961 to January 1, 1963 – one single two-year term. Under his administration, a family court was established and Rhode Island held its first one-day, one-place Democratic and Republican primaries. He appointed Leonard Holland as state Adjutant General early in his term. Holland would lead the

Rhode Island National Guard The Rhode Island National Guard consists of the: *Rhode Island Army National Guardbr>*Rhode Island Air National Guardbr>** 102nd Information Warfare Squadron ** 143d Airlift Wing ** 281st Combat Communications Group ** 282nd Combat Communication ...

for the next 22 years. He was defeated for re-election by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

John Chafee John Lester Hubbard Chafee ( ; October 22, 1922 – October 24, 1999) was an American politician and officer in the United States Marine Corps. A member of the Republican Party (United States), he served as the 66th Governor of Rhode Island, as ...

in the state's tightest gubernatorial race ever – a margin of under 400 votes. His defeat was mainly caused by withdrawn support from labor unions (he was the first Democratic Governor running without labor support), because of his support for a state income tax.

Later life

After he left office, he returned to his law practice and sought Democratic nomination in the special election to the

United States 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 ...

in 1967 and lost the primary. Governor Notte died in 1983 at the age of 73 and was buried in St. Francis Cemetery in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Legacy

Governor Notte Park in North Providence is named after him.

External links

Biography from National Governors Association Site

BreezeObserver: Gov. Notte brought dignity, honor to his home townGuide to the John A. Notte Jr. records
from the Rhode Island State Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Notte, John A. Jr. 1909 births 1983 deaths Democratic Party governors of Rhode Island Lieutenant Governors of Rhode Island Secretaries of State of Rhode Island Politicians from Providence, Rhode Island United States Navy officers Military personnel from Rhode Island 20th-century American politicians Catholics from Rhode Island