1942 Massachusetts elections

The 1942 Massachusetts general election was held on November 3, 1942, throughout Massachusetts. Primary elections took place on September 15.

1942 Massachusetts general election

November 3, 1942

Part of the
1942 United States elections

At the federal level, Republican Incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. was reelected to the United States Senate over Democratic U.S. Representative Joseph E. Casey and Republicans won ten of fourteen seats in the United States House of Representatives.

In the race for Governor, Republican incumbent Leverett Saltonstall defeated Democrat Roger Putnam. Overall, Republicans won four of the six elected state-wide offices and both houses of the Massachusetts General Court.

Governor

Republican Incumbent Leverett Saltonstall defeated Democratic Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts Roger Putnam.

Lieutenant governor

In the race for lieutenant governor, Republican incumbent Horace T. Cahill defeated Democratic Mayor of Medford John C. Carr. Both were unopposed in their parties’ primaries.

General election

Massachusetts Lt. gubernatorial election, 1942[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Horace T. Cahill (incumbent) 732,474 54.04%
Democratic John C. Carr 609,193 44.94%
Socialist Labor George L. McGlynn 8,293 0.61%
Prohibition E. Frank Searle 5,406 0.39%

Secretary of the Commonwealth

Eleven-term Republican Incumbent Frederic W. Cook ran unopposed in the primary and defeated Democrat Joseph J. Buckley in the general election for Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Democratic primary

Joseph J. Buckley, a former WPA employee and a virtual unknown in politics, defeated Leo A. Gosselin in the Democratic primary.[2]

1942 Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Democratic Primary[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Joseph J. Buckley 136,678 85.64%
Democratic Leo A. Gosselin 22,909 14.35%
Write-in All others 1 0.00%
Total votes 159,558 100.00%

General election

1942 Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Election[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Frederic W. Cook (incumbent) 696,755 51.57%
Democratic Joseph J. Buckey 627,900 46.47%
Socialist Labor Bernard J. Kelly 16,347 1.21%
Socialist Peter Wartiainen Jr. 5,595 0.41%
Prohibition Abbie L. Tebbets 4,362 0.32%
Write-in All others 2 0.00%
Total votes 1,350,961 100.00%

Treasurer and Receiver-General

Incumbent Republican Treasurer and Receiver-General William E. Hurley was constitutionally prevented from running for a fourth consecutive term.[4] Democrat Francis X. Hurley defeated Republican Laurence Curtis to succeed Hurley.

Republican primary

State senator Laurence Curtis defeated former state senator Sybil Holmes, attorney Edgar A. French, Perennial candidate Wallace E. Stearns, and Boston finance commissioner Richard E. Johnston for the Republican nomination.

1942 Massachusetts Treasurer and Receiver-General Republican Primary[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Laurence Curtis 89,100 47.90%
Republican Sybil Holmes 40,140 21.57%
Republican Edgar A. French 26,155 14.06%
Republican Wallace E. Stearns 16,202 8.71%
Republican Richard E. Johnston 14,406 7.74%
Write-in All others 4 0.00%
Total votes 186,007 100.00%

Democratic primary

Attorney and former Massachusetts Auditor Francis X. Hurley defeated former state representative Thomas E. Barry, Boston City Councilor William F. Hurley, and state auditor Thomas J. Buckley’s former confidential secretary John F. Welch to win the Democratic primary. Francis X. Hurley was the third consecutive person in 12 years named Hurley to be elected state treasurer, following Charles F. Hurley and William E. Hurley.[6]

1942 Massachusetts Treasurer and Receiver-General Democratic Primary[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Francis X. Hurley 106,703 48.23%
Democratic Thomas E. Barry 53,659 24.25%
Democratic William F. Hurley 40,063 18.11%
Democratic John F. Welch 20,767 9.38%
Write-in All others 4 0.00%
Total votes 221,196 100.00%

General election

1942 Massachusetts Treasurer and Receiver-General Election[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Francis X. Hurley 669,223 49.82%
Republican Laurence Curtis 653,838 48.68%
Socialist Anders H. Swenson 7,377 0.54%
Socialist Labor Gote Elvel Palmquist 6,582 0.49%
Prohibition Martha E. Geer 6,061 0.45%
Write-in All others 1 0.00%
Total votes 1,343,081 100.00%

Auditor

Incumbent Democratic Auditor Thomas J. Buckley defeated his predecessor, Republican Russell A. Wood in the general election.

Democratic primary

Incumbent Thomas J. Buckley defeated assistant director of Boston’s Bureau of Americanization Leo D. Walsh in the Democratic primary.

1942 Massachusetts Auditor Democratic Primary[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Thomas J. Buckley (incumbent) 162,302 73.01%
Democratic Leo D. Walsh 59,993 26.98%
Write-in All others 1 0.00%

General election

1942 Massachusetts Auditor Election[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Thomas J. Buckley (incumbent) 684,317 51.43%
Republican Russell A. Wood 628,742 47.25%
Socialist Labor Herbert Crabtree 11,568 0.86%
Prohibition Ethel J. Prince 5,774 0.43%
Write-in All others 1 0.00%
Total votes 1,864,764 100.00%

Attorney general

Incumbent attorney general Robert T. Bushnell (R) defeated former Boston city councilor and Massachusetts Fish and Game Commissioner James E. Agnew (D) to win reelection. Both won their parties’ nominations unopposed.

General election

1942 Massachusetts Attorney General Election[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Robert T. Bushnell (incumbent) 740,275 55.51%
Democratic James E. Agnew 575,301 43.13%
Socialist Labor Fred E. Oelcher 6,370 0.47%
Prohibition Charles F. Danforth 5,925 0.44%
Socialist Howard Penley 5,698 0.42%
Write-in All others 1 0.00%
Total votes 1,333,570 100.00%

United States Senate

Republican Incumbent Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. defeated Democratic U.S. Representative Joseph E. Casey to win his second term.

General election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (incumbent) 721,239 52.44 Increase3.91
Democratic Joseph E. Casey 641,042 46.61 Increase5.62
Socialist George Lyman Paine 4,802 0.35 Decrease0.19
Socialist Labor Horace I. Hillis 4,781 0.35 Increase0.35
Prohibition George L. Thompson 3,577 0.26 Increase0.26
Total votes 1,375,441 100.00%

United States House of Representatives

All of Massachusetts' fourteen seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 1942. Republicans won 10 of the 14. Due to the loss of one congressional seat, the districts of Democrats, Thomas A. Flaherty and Thomas H. Eliot, were combined. Flaherty retired and Elliot lost renomination in the new Boston-based 11th congressional district to James Michael Curley. The Republicans gained a seat when Angier Goodwin won the seat previously held by Democrat Arthur Daniel Healey, who resigned when he was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Two other incumbents (Democrat Joseph E. Casey and Republican George H. Tinkham) also did not run for reelection and they were succeeded by members of their own party (Philip J. Philbin succeeded Casey in the Worcester County-based 3rd district and Christian Herter succeed Tinkham in the Boston-based 10th district).

See also

References

  1. Election Statistics; The Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1942. p. 3.
  2. "Another Buckley Wins Nomination for State Office". The Boston Daily Globe. September 16, 1942.
  3. Massachusetts Election Statistics 1942. p. 134.
  4. Harris, John G. (March 1, 1942). "Politics and Politicians: Which Democrats Will Seek Office?". The Boston Daily Globe.
  5. Massachusetts Election Statistics 1942. p. 50.
  6. Harris, John J. (August 2, 1942). "Politics and Politicians: Senatorial Race Holds Spotlight in Massachusetts". The Boston Daily Globe.
  7. Massachusetts Election Statistics 1942. p. 140.
  8. Massachusetts Election Statistics 1942. p. 143.
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