C. Gerald Lucey

C. Gerald Lucey (1913-1989) was an American politician who served as Mayor of Brockton, Massachusetts and was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

C. Gerald Lucey
Mayor of Brockton, Massachusetts
In office
1952–1956
Preceded byMelvin B. Clifford
Succeeded byHjalmar Peterson
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 8th Plymouth District
In office
1947–1953
Preceded byHarvey Iris
Succeeded byJames R. Lawton
Personal details
Born(1913-09-08)September 8, 1913
Brockton, Massachusetts
DiedOctober 20, 1989(1989-10-20) (aged 76)
New Haven, Connecticut
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materProvidence College
Suffolk University Law School
ProfessionSalesman[1]
Mayor
Transportation executive

Early life

Lucey was born on September 8, 1913, in Brockton.[1] His father, Charles Lucey, served as a member of the Brockton board of aldermen and was an unsuccessful candidate for mayor.[2] Lucey attended Brockton High School, Providence College, and Suffolk University Law School.[1]

Political career

Municipal office

In 1936, Lucey was elected to the Brockton city council.[1] In 1937, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Brockton board of aldermen in Ward 2.[3] He returned to the council in 1942, but left later that year to enlist in the United States Army.[1][4] He served in the 6th General Hospital in North Africa and Italy during World War II.[4]

In 1947, Lucey was a candidate for mayor of Brockton, but lost to incumbent Joseph H. Downey.[5] In 1951, he again ran for mayor. This time he was successful, defeating incumbent Melvin B. Clifford 14,667 votes to 14,232.[6] During his tenure as mayor, Brockton built four junior high schools and Lucey was credited with attracting a Veterans Administration medical center to the city.[4] Lucey was elected to a second term as mayor in 1953. He defeated Republican Paul Keith 13,958 votes to 11,911. Sticker candidate George F. Rodenbush received 2,183 votes.[7] In 1955, Lucey was defeated in his bid for reelection by Hjalmar Peterson 17,120 votes to 12,323.[8]

In 1963, Lucey once again ran for mayor, but was unsuccessful.[9]

Massachusetts House of Representatives

In 1946, Lucey was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives.[1] In 1952, Lucey was drafted to run for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts by fifty of his House colleagues.[10] He finished a distant second place in the Democratic primary behind incumbent Charles F. Sullivan.[11]

Later life and death

After leaving office, Lucey worked as executive vice president of Peerless Transportation of Holbrook, Massachusetts. He eventually left Brockton and moved to Orange, Connecticut. Lucey died on October 20, 1989, at St. Raphael's Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut.[4]

Lucey's niece, Claire D. Cronin, is the United States Ambassador to Ireland.[12]

See also

References
  1. Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1951-1952. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  2. "Chas. Lucey, Was Alderman In Brockton". The Boston Globe. May 12, 1966.
  3. "Rowe, McCaffrey Named for Mayor in Brockton". The Boston Daily Globe. November 17, 1937.
  4. "C. Gerald Lucey, 76; Was Brockton Mayor, Legislator". The Boston Globe. October 21, 1989.
  5. "Nominated for Mayor". The Boston Globe. October 8, 1947.
  6. "City Police Watch State Police Watching Ballots in Brockton". The Boston Daily Globe. November 8, 1951.
  7. "Mayor Lucey Leads Vote in Brockton". The Boston Daily Globe. November 4, 1953.
  8. "Peterson Upsets Lucey for Mayor". The Boston Daily Globe. November 9, 1955.
  9. Powers, Richard (September 29, 1963). "6 Seeking Brockton Mayoral Nomination". The Boston Globe.
  10. "50 Democrats in Bid to Draft Lucey Into Lt. Governor Race". The Boston Daily Globe. July 4, 1952.
  11. Election Statistics; The Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1952.
  12. "Ambassador Claire D. Cronin". U.S. Embassy in Ireland. Archived from the original on 2022-02-10. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
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