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Part of the 1944 United States elections | ||||
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The1944 Massachusetts general election was held on November 7, 1944, throughoutMassachusetts.Primary elections took place on July 11.
At the federal level, Republican GovernorLeverett Saltonstall was elected to theUnited States Senate overCambridge mayorJohn H. Corcoranin a special election to fill the vacancy caused byHenry Cabot Lodge Jr.'s resignation and Republicans won ten of fourteen seats in theUnited States House of Representatives.
In the race for Governor, Republican Lt. GovernorRobert F. Bradford defeated incumbent DemocratMaurice Tobin. Overall, Republicans and Democrats evenly split the state-wide offices, with each party won three of the six elected offices. Republicans won both houses of theMassachusetts General Court
Republican Incumbent Leverett Saltonstall ran for a seat in the United States Senate rather than seeking reelection. DemocraticMayor of BostonMaurice J. Tobin defeated Republican Lieutenant GovernorHorace T. Cahill.
In the race forlieutenant governor, Middlesex County District AttorneyRobert F. Bradford (R) defeated Democratic former attorney generalPaul A. Dever.
Middlesex County District Attorney Robert F. Bradford defeated Senate PresidentJarvis Hunt, Speaker of the HouseRudolph King,Beverly mayorDaniel E. McLean, andperennial candidateWilliam McMasters for the Republican nomination.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert F. Bradford | 106,684 | 54.06% | ||
| Republican | Jarvis Hunt | 37,866 | 19.19% | ||
| Republican | Rudolph King | 33,860 | 17.16% | ||
| Republican | Daniel E. McLean | 12,780 | 6.47% | ||
| Republican | William McMasters | 6,142 | 3.11% | ||
Somerville assessorJohn B. Carr defeated formerWorcester mayor John S. Sullivan, former state representative Alexander F. Sullivan, andEverett city councilor Alfred P. Farese for the Democratic nomination. Although he was a relative unknown in statewide politics, Carr did have a similar name to his party's 1942 lieutenant gubernatorial nominee,John C. Carr.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John B. Carr | 61,222 | 33.38% | ||
| Democratic | John S. Sullivan | 55,140 | 30.07% | ||
| Democratic | Alexander F. Sullivan | 53,267 | 29.04% | ||
| Democratic | Alfred P. Farese | 13,754 | 7.50% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert F. Bradford | 975,537 | 51.65% | ||
| Democratic | John B. Carr | 893,487 | 47.30% | ||
| Socialist Labor | George Leo McGlynn | 11,159 | 0.59% | ||
| Prohibition | Alfred Erickson | 8,662 | 0.46% | ||
Twelve-term Republican IncumbentFrederic W. Cook ran unopposed in the primary and defeated DemocratMargaret O'Riordan in the general election forSecretary of the Commonwealth. John M. Bresnahan had defeated Margaret O'Riordan in the Democratic primary, but gave up the nomination to instead run for theUnited States House of Representatives seat inMassachusetts's 6th congressional district.[5]
Lynn school committee member John M. Bresnahan defeatedDemocratic National CommitteewomanMargaret O'Riordan in the Democratic primary. Bresnahan also won the Democratic primary for the United States House of Representatives seat in Massachusetts's 6th congressional district. As he could not be the nominee in both races, Bresnahan relinquished his nomination for Secretary of the Commonwealth.[6] O'Riordan was chosen byacclamation by the State Democratic Committee to replace Bresnahan on the ballot.[5]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John M. Bresnahan | 99,373 | 56.67% | |
| Democratic | Margaret O'Riordan | 75,973 | 43.32% | |
| Write-in | All others | 2 | 0.00% | |
| Total votes | 175,346 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Frederic W. Cook (incumbent) | 1,072,267 | 59.31% | ||
| Democratic | Margaret O'Riordan | 782,664 | 40.36% | ||
| Socialist Labor | Horace I. Hillis | 13,764 | 0.94% | ||
| Write-in | All others | 4 | 0.00% | ||
| Total votes | 1,646,792 | 100.00% | |||
Incumbent DemocraticTreasurer and Receiver-GeneralFrancis X. Hurley ran for Governor rather than seeking reelection. DemocratJohn E. Hurley defeated RepublicanFred J. Burrell to succeed Hurley.
Former state treasurerFred J. Burrell defeated former state senatorLaurence Curtis for the Republican nomination.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Fred J. Burrell | 92,236 | 50.17% | |
| Republican | Laurence Curtis | 91,578 | 49.82% | |
| Write-in | All others | 3 | 0.00% | |
| Total votes | 183,814 | 100.00% | ||
John E. Hurley, a former State Representative and secretary to Attorney GeneralPaul A. Dever defeated attorney andMedfield assessor Francis C. McKenna, Democratic state committeeman Michael A. O'Leary, and state AuditorThomas J. Buckley’s former confidential secretary John F. Welch to win the Democratic primary. Hurley was the fourth consecutive person in the past 14 years named Hurley to win the Democratic nomination for state treasurer, followingCharles F. Hurley,William E. Hurley, andFrancis X. Hurley.[10]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John E. Hurley | 118,955 | 66.30% | |
| Democratic | Michael A. O’Leary | 24,525 | 13.67% | |
| Democratic | John F. Welch | 20,040 | 11.17% | |
| Democratic | Francis C. McKenna | 15,886 | 8.85% | |
| Write-in | All others | 1 | 0.00% | |
| Total votes | 179,404 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John E. Hurley | 1,035,093 | 56.24% | ||
| Republican | Fred J. Burrell | 782,664 | 42.52% | ||
| Socialist Labor | Herbert Crabtree | 14,170 | 0.76% | ||
| Prohibition | Earle L. Smith | 8,310 | 0.45% | ||
| Write-in | All others | 35 | 0.00% | ||
| Total votes | 1,840,272 | 100.00% | |||
Incumbent DemocraticAuditorThomas J. Buckley ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated RepublicanFrank A. Goodwin in the general election.
Registrar of Motor Vehicles Frank A. Goodwin defeated former AuditorRussell A. Wood andYoung Republican Wallace E. Stearns in the Republican primary.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Frank A. Goodwin | 108,036 | 56.82% | |
| Republican | Russell A. Wood | 65,028 | 34.20% | |
| Republican | Wallace E. Stearns | 17,049 | 8.96% | |
| Write-in | All others | 3 | 0.00% | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Thomas J. Buckley | 972,910 | 52.17% | ||
| Republican | Frank A. Goodwin | 875,930 | 46.97% | ||
| Socialist Labor | Gote Elvel Palmquist | 10,368 | 0.55% | ||
| Prohibition | Charles E. Vaughn | 5,550 | 0.29% | ||
| Write-in | All others | 6 | 0.00% | ||
| Total votes | 1,864,764 | 100.00% | |||
Incumbent Republicanattorney generalRobert T. Bushnell did not run for reelection and was not a candidate for any other office. RepublicanClarence A. Barnes defeated Democratic former Lt. GovernorFrancis E. Kelly to succeed Bushnell.
Massachusetts Governor’s CouncilorClarence A. Barnes defeated attorneys Charles Fairhurst and James E. Farley in the Republican primary.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Clarence A. Barnes | 110,723 | 58.79% | |
| Republican | James E. Farley | 53,071 | 28.18% | |
| Republican | Charles Fairhurst | 24,502 | 13.01% | |
| Write-in | All others | 15 | 0.00% | |
| Total votes | 188,311 | 100.00% | ||
Former Lieutenant GovernorFrancis E. Kelly defeated former director of the state department of public works’ securities division John H. Backus, attorneyFrancis D. Harrigan, andWorld War II veteran Joseph M. McDonough in the Democratic primary.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Francis E. Kelly | 83,248 | 43.35% | |
| Democratic | Joseph M. McDonough | 53,392 | 27.80% | |
| Democratic | Francis D. Harrigan | 32,883 | 17.12% | |
| Democratic | John H. Backus | 22,454 | 11.69% | |
| Write-in | All others | 20 | 0.01% | |
| Total votes | 191,997 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Clarence A. Barnes | 929,320 | 49.86% | ||
| Democratic | Francis E. Kelly | 918,559 | 49.28% | ||
| Socialist Labor | Fred E. Oelcher | 10,439 | 0.56% | ||
| Prohibition | Howard Rand | 5,444 | 0.29% | ||
| Write-in | All others | 15 | 0.00% | ||
| Total votes | 1,863,777 | 100.00% | |||
GovernorLeverett Saltonstall (R) defeated Cambridge mayorJohn H. Corcoran (D) in a special election for the United States Senate seat previously held byHenry Cabot Lodge Jr., who had resigned from Massachusetts's other Senate seat in order to serve inWorld War II.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Leverett Saltonstall | 1,228,754 | 64.29% |  11.85 | |
| Democratic | John H. Corcoran | 667,086 | 34.90% |  11.71 | |
| Socialist Labor | Bernard G. Kelly | 12,296 | 0.64% | 0.29 | |
| Prohibition | E. Tallmadge Root | 3,269 | 0.17% | 0.09 | |
| Total votes | 1,911,405 | 100.00% | |||
All of Massachusetts' fourteen seats in theUnited States House of Representatives were up for election in 1944.
Ten seats were won by Republican Party candidates.
Eleven seats were won by candidates seeking re-election. The 1st District seat (based inWestern Massachusetts) was won by RepublicanJohn W. Heselton. Heselton defeated Democrat James P. McAndrews in a close race to succeed the retiredAllen T. Treadway
