1954 Massachusetts elections

1954 Massachusetts general election

* * *

| <- 1952 | November 2, 1954 | 1956 ->

|
|

* * *

Part of the
1954 United States elections

Elections in
Massachusetts

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Massachusetts portal

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A Massachusetts general election was held on November 2, 1954 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The election included:

* statewide elections for United States Senator, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of the Commonwealth, Treasurer, and Auditor;
* district elections for U.S. Representatives, State Representatives, State Senators, and Governor's Councillors; and
* ballot questions at the state and local levels.

Democratic and Republican candidates were selected in party primaries held on September 14, 1954.

## Governor

[edit]

Further information: 1954 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

Republican incumbent Christian Herter was re-elected over Robert F. Murphy.

## Lieutenant governor

[edit]

1956 Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor election

<- 1954

1958 ->

|  |  |

|
|

Nominee  | Sumner G. Whittier | James A. Burke |
Party  | Republican | Democratic
Popular vote  | 972,745 | 883,440
Percentage  | 52.0% | 47.2%

* * *

| Lieutenant Governor before election

Sumner Whittier
Republican

| Elected Lieutenant Governor

Sumner Whittier
Republican

|

Republican Sumner Whittier was re-elected lieutenant governor over Democrat James A. Burke, Socialist Labor candidate Francis A. Votano, and Prohibition candidate Donald E. Babcock.

### General election

[edit]

#### Candidates

[edit]

* Donald E. Babcock (Prohibition)
* James A. Burke, state representative from Hyde Park (Democratic)
* Sumner G. Whittier, incumbent lieutenant governor since 1953 (Republican)
* Francis A. Votano (Socialist Labor)

#### Results

[edit]

Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1954  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Republican | Sumner G. Whittier | 972,745  | 52.01%  |
| Democratic | James A. Burke | 883,440  | 47.23%  |
| Socialist Labor | Francis A. Votano  | 9,215  | 0.49%  |
| Prohibition | Donald E. Babcock  | 5,067  | 0.27%  |
Total votes  | 1,870,467  | 100.00%  |

## Attorney general

[edit]

1954 Massachusetts Attorney General election

<- 1952

1956 ->

|  |  |

|
|

Nominee  | George Fingold | John F. Collins |
Party  | Republican | Democratic
Popular vote  | 972,745 | 893,825
Percentage  | 51.2% | 48.2%

* * *

| Attorney General before election

George Fingold
Republican

| Elected Attorney General

George Fingold
Republican

|

Republican attorney general George Fingold was re-elected over Democratic State Senator John F. Collins, Socialist Workers candidate Malcolm T. Rowe, and Prohibition candidate Howard B. Rand in the general election.

### General election

[edit]

#### Candidates

[edit]

* John F. Collins, state senator from Jamaica Plain (Democratic)
* George Fingold, incumbent attorney general since 1953 (Republican)
* Howard B. Rand (Prohibition)
* Malcolm T. Rowe (Socialist Workers)

#### Results

[edit]

Massachusetts Attorney General Election, 1954[1] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Republican | George Fingold (incumbent)  | 950,865  | 51.22%  |
| Democratic | John F. Collins | 893,825  | 48.16%  |
| Socialist Workers | Malcolm T. Rowe  | 6,004  | 0.32%  |
| Prohibition | Howard B. Rand  | 5,425  | 0.29%  |
| Write-in | 1  | 0.00%  |
Total votes  | 1,856,120  | 100.00%  |

## Secretary of the Commonwealth

[edit]

1954 Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth election

<- 1952

1956 ->

|  |  |

|
|

Nominee  | Edward J. Cronin | Michael J. McCarthy |
Party  | Democratic | Republican
Popular vote  | 1,018,428 | 793,121
Percentage  | 55.6% | 43.3%

* * *

| Secretary of the Commonwealth before election

Edward J. Cronin
Democratic

| Elected Secretary of the Commonwealth

Edward J. Cronin
Democratic

|

Incumbent Secretary of the Commonwealth Edward J. Cronin defeated Republican state representative Michael J. McCarthy, Socialist Labor candidate Fred M. Ingersoll, and Prohibition candidate William D. Ross in the general election.

### General election

[edit]

#### Candidates

[edit]

* Edward J. Cronin, incumbent secretary since 1949 (Democratic)
* Fred M. Ingersoll (Socialist Workers)
* Michael J. McCarthy, state representative from East Bridgewater (Republican)
* William D. Ross (Prohibition)

#### Results

[edit]

Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Election, 1954[1] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Democratic | Edward J. Cronin (incumbent)  | 1,018,428  | 55.62%  |
| Republican | Michael J. McCarthy | 793,121  | 43.32%  |
| Socialist Workers | Fred M. Ingersoll  | 10,613  | 0.58%  |
| Prohibition | William D. Ross  | 8,833  | 0.48%  |
| Write-in | 1  | 0.00%  |
Total votes  | 1,830,996  | 100.00%  |

## Treasurer and Receiver-General

[edit]

1954 Massachusetts Treasurer and Receiver-General election

<- 1952

1956 ->

|  |  |

|
|

Nominee  | John Francis Kennedy | Augustus Gardner Means |
Party  | Democratic | Republican
Popular vote  | 1,004,145 | 830,263
Percentage  | 54.4% | 45.0%

* * *

| Treasurer before election

Foster Furcolo
Democratic

| Elected Treasurer

John Francis Kennedy
Democratic

|

Incumbent Treasurer and Receiver-General Foster Furcolo ran for a U.S. Senate seat instead of seeking re-election. John Francis Kennedy defeated Norwood Selectman Clement A. Riley and State Representative and Boston School Committee Chair William F. Carr in the Democratic primary and Republican Augustus Gardner Means, Socialist Labor candidate Henning A. Blomen, and Prohibition candidate Isaac Goddard in the general election.

### Democratic primary

[edit]

#### Candidates

[edit]

* William F. Carr, Boston School Committee chair and former State Representative from South Boston
* John Francis Kennedy, Gillette stockroom supervisor
* Clement A. Riley, Norwood selectman

Massachusetts Treasurer and Receiver-General Democratic Primary, 1954[2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Democratic | John Francis Kennedy | 124,884  | 36.84%  |
| Democratic | Clement A. Riley | 110,221  | 32.53%  |
| Democratic | William F. Carr | 103,857  | 30.63%  |
| Write-in  |  | 3  | 0.00%  |

### General election

[edit]

#### Candidates

[edit]

* Henning A. Blomen, perennial candidate (Socialist Workers)
* Issac Goddard (Prohibition)
* John Francis Kennedy, Gillette stockroom supervisor (Democratic)
* Augustus Gardner Means, state representative from Beverly (Republican)

#### Results

[edit]

Massachusetts Treasurer and Receiver-General Election, 1954[1] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Democratic | John Francis Kennedy | 1,004,145  | 54.37%  |
| Republican | Augustus Gardner Means | 830,263  | 44.96%  |
| Socialist Workers | Henning A. Blomen | 7,325  | 0.40%  |
| Prohibition | Issac Goddard  | 5,069  | 0.27%  |
| Write-in | 1  | 0.00%  |
Total votes  | 1,846,803  | 100.00%  |

## Auditor

[edit]

1954 Massachusetts Auditor election

<- 1952

1956 ->

|  |  |

|
|

Nominee  | Thomas J. Buckley | William P. Constantino |
Party  | Democratic | Republican
Popular vote  | 1,075,162 | 741,082
Percentage  | 58.7% | 40.5%

* * *

| Auditor before election

Thomas J. Buckley
Democratic

| Elected Auditor

Thomas J. Buckley
Democratic

|

Incumbent Auditor Thomas J. Buckley defeated Republican state representative William P. Constantino, Socialist Labor candidate Anthony Martin, and Prohibition candidate John B. Lauder in the general election.

### General election

[edit]

#### Candidates

[edit]

* Thomas J. Buckley, incumbent auditor since 1941 (Democratic)
* William P. Constantino, state representative from Clinton (Republican)
* John B. Lauder (Prohibition)
* Anthony Martin (Socialist Workers)

#### Results

[edit]

Massachusetts Auditor Election, 1954[1] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Democratic | Thomas J. Buckley (incumbent)  | 1,075,162  | 58.69%  |
| Republican | William P. Constantino | 741,082  | 40.45%  |
| Socialist Workers | Anthony Martin  | 9,483  | 0.52%  |
| Prohibition | John B. Lauder  | 6,198  | 0.34%  |
| Write-in | 2  | 0.00%  |
Total votes  | 1,831,925  | 100.00%  |

## U.S. Senator

[edit]

Further information: 1954 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

Republican Leverett Saltonstall was re-elected over Democrat Foster Furcolo, Socialist Labor candidate Thelma Ingersoll, and Prohibition candidate Harold J. Ireland.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Massachusetts Election Statistics 1954. p. 5.
2. ^ Massachusetts Election Statistics 1954. p. 131.

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See also: Political party strength in Massachusetts

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