Laurence Curtis (September 3, 1893 – July 11, 1989) was an American attorney and

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

politician from

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Early life, military service, and education

Laurence Curtis was born in Boston, Massachusetts on September 3, 1893. He graduated from

Groton School Groton School (founded as Groton School for Boys) is a private college-preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. Ranked as one of the top five boarding high schools in the United States in Niche (2021–2022), it is affiliated ...

in 1912 and from

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 highe ...

in 1916.

Military career

He served in the Foreign Diplomatic Service. Upon graduation from college, he was commissioned as an officer in the Navy and was injured during an aviation training crash on a

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fuselag ...

in Newport News, Virginia, resulting in the loss of a leg. He served out the rest of his time in the military in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal c ...

. He was awarded the

Citation Star The Citation Star was a Department of War personal valor decoration issued as a ribbon device which was first established by the United States Congress on July 9, 1918 (Bulletin No. 43, War Dept. 1918). When awarded, a silver star was placed o ...

. He was later State Commander and National Senior Vice Commander of the

Disabled American Veterans The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is an organization created in 1920 by World War I veterans for disabled military veterans of the United States Armed Forces that helps them and their families through various means. It was issued a federal c ...

. He returned to

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each c ...

and graduated in 1921.

Legal career

He was admitted to the Massachusetts bar the same year and commenced practice in Boston. He was secretary to

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. He served as assistant United States attorney in Boston

Political career

1935 Laurence Curtis Massachusetts House of Representatives

Curtis was elected to the

Boston City Council The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councillors are elected to two-year terms and there is no ...

in 1929. He succeeded Henry Parkman Jr. in the then-strongly Republican fifth ward, which includes the wealthy

Back Bay Back Bay is an officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the availability in the city at the time, and t ...

and

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neighborhoods. He represented the area in 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 ...

from 1933 to 1937 and the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...

from 1937 to 1941. In 1946, Curtis was elected Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts. He defeated former Treasurer Fred J. Burrell in the Republican primary and incumbent Treasurer

John E. Hurley John E. Hurley (November 3, 1906 – September 22, 1992) was an American politician who served as a Massachusetts State Representative, and the Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts. Early life and education Hurley was born on Buttonwo ...

in the general election. However, Curtis lost re-election to Hurley in the historic

wave election Wave elections in the United States are elections in which a political party makes major gains. Based on the "red states and blue states" color coding convention since 2000, wave elections have often been described as either a "blue wave" if the De ...

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

, when the Democratic Party swept all six state offices. Hurley sought a re-match and defeated Curtis by over 230,000 votes. In 1950, Curtis was the Republican nominee 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 won the nomination relatively easily with 46% of the vote over a five-man field, including anti-communist activist Robert W. Welch Jr. and State Senator Harris S. Richardson. Though he was the leading Republican candidate on the ballot, Curtis lost the general election to incumbent Charles F. Sullivan as Republicans failed to erase the Democratic gains of 1948.

U.S. Representative

In 1952, Curtis initially sought election as Governor, calling for a "wholesale clean-up of conditions at the State House that have destroyed the hope of a square deal for Massachusetts citizens." However, U.S. Representative

Christian Herter Christian Archibald Herter (March 28, 1895December 30, 1966) was an American diplomat and Republican politician who was the 59th Governor of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1957 and United States Secretary of State from 1959 to 1961. His moderate ...

was drafted by the party establishment for the race instead. Curtis initially vowed to remain in the race before withdrawing, endorsing Herter, and running for Herter's House seat with party support. Curtis was elected to the four succeeding Congresses. He voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

, but voted present on the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

1962 United States Senate campaign

In 1962, he declined to run for a sixth term in favor of seeking the United States Senate seat left vacant by John F. Kennedy's election to the White House. However, he lost the Republican nomination to George C. Lodge. After his 1962 loss, Curtis resumed the practice of law. He unsuccessfully sought election to the House three more times in 1968, 1970, and 1972.

Personal life and death

After he retired from office, Curtis was a resident of

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of ...

until his death in Boston on July 11, 1989. He was buried at

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge and Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, west of Boston. It is the burial site of many prominent Boston Brah ...

References

External links

*
Laurence Curtis, 95, Former House Member
'. New York Times (July 13, 1989). * {{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Laurence 1893 births 1989 deaths Groton School alumni Harvard Law School alumni Law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Republican Party Massachusetts state senators State treasurers of Massachusetts Boston City Council members Recipients of the Silver Star Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery 20th-century American politicians United States Navy officers Survivors of aviation accidents or incidents