Anna Mae Pallanck

Anna Mae Pallanck
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from Union
In office
1953–1959
Serving with Basil A. Plusnin
Preceded byJohn S. Yoskovich
Lemuel F. Howlett[1]
Succeeded byBurton L. Sweet
Ida B. Brown
Personal details
BornAnna Mae Goodhall
1922 or 1923
Stafford Springs, Connecticut, U.S.
Died (aged 90)
Southbridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
PartyRepublican
SpouseErmen J. Pallanck

Anna Mae Pallanck (died June 19, 2013) was an American politician who served in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1953 to 1959, representing the town of Union as a Republican.

Personal life

Pallanck was born in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, to parents Ruth and Wallace I. Goodhall Sr. She was married to fellow politician Ermen J. Pallanck, who would serve in the Connecticut House of Representatives in the 1960s, and later as a U.S. marshal.[2][3][4] Together, the couple owned Marion's Restaurant, located on the Wilbur Cross Highway, which they operated between 1956 and 1957. The Pallancks closed the restaurant in September 1957 and sold it in January 1963.[5][6][7]

Pallanck died on June 19, 2013, at Harrington Memorial Hospital in Southbridge, Massachusetts. She was 90.[3]

Political career

Connecticut House of Representatives

A Republican, Pallanck was first elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1952 as one of two representatives from Union. She served three terms alongside fellow Republican Basil A. Plusnin[8][9] and did not run for reelection in 1958. She was succeeded by fellow Republicans Burton L. Sweet and Ida B. Brown.[10]

Later career

Following her service in the Connecticut House of Representatives, Pallanck remained active in politics in Union. From 1957 to 1963, she was vice chairman of the town committee. In 1963 and 1964, Pallanck was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican State Central Committee's 35th district, both years defeated by candidate Virginia C. Lewis.[11][12][13] In 1966, she was named to the town planning and zoning commission to fulfill her husband's unexpired term after his resignation.[14][15]

Pallanck served as first selectwoman of Union from 1974 to 1981, the first woman to hold the position. She chose not to run for reelection at the end of her final term, citing the town's decision not to raise the salary from $4,000. She was critical of her successor, state trooper James Johnston. Pallanck had previously complained to the State Board of Labor Relations about Johnston's candidacy, claiming that state law permitted state employees to campaign for election, but did not permit simultaneously holding public office and working for the state. The board dismissed her complaint without a hearing.[14][16][17]

Pallanck was involved in a dispute with the Connecticut Highway Department between 1957 and 1959. On July 22, 1957, Pallanck was arrested and charged with aggravated assault after firing multiple shots with a .22 caliber rifle at a group of Highway Department employees erecting a fence on what she claimed was her property.[6][18] Pallanck stated that she had only intended to scare the workers and that the fence cut across her driveway, preventing direct access to the highway. Her counsel argued that the workers were "invading her land", while the state contended that Pallanck had already been provided land to build a new driveway that connected to another road with highway access in November 1956, and that she had been given until June 1957 to construct the new driveway, during which time the Highway Department had delayed its work.[9][19][20][21]

In September 1957, the Pallancks closed their business, Marion's Restaurant, with Anna Mae citing the Highway Department's recent removal of her highway sign as the cause of a sharp decline in business. She claimed she had a permit for the sign and that it had been removed without notice, an issue presented during her trial as evidence that the superintendent of the Highway Department, who testified against her, had been "hostile" towards her. Her counsel claimed the superintendent had initially rejected Pallanck's request for a sign permit, which the commissioner's office later granted. It was then claimed that the superintendent subsequently ordered the sign removed "on orders from the commissioner's office".[6][20]

Pallanck was convicted of aggravated assault in December 1957 and sentenced on December 17. She was given a suspended sentence of ten days in jail and ordered to pay a fine of $300. She appealed her case to the Connecticut Supreme Court, but her conviction was ultimately upheld in 1959.[9][22]

References

  1. ↑ "1950 Statement of Vote State of Connecticut Public Document No. 26" (PDF). Connecticut Office of the Secretary of the State. 1951. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 1, 2025. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
  2. ↑ "U. S. Senate Okays Marshal For State". Connecticut Post. Newspapers.com. February 17, 1972. p. 15. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Annamae Pallanck Obituary". Hartford Courant. June 21, 2013. Archived from the original on July 5, 2025. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Ermen Pallanck Obituary". Hartford Courant. January 24, 2015. Archived from the original on June 21, 2026. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Union". Hartford Courant. Newspapers.com. May 21, 1955. p. 8. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "Restaurant Closed". Hartford Courant. Newspapers.com. September 30, 1957. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Pallancks Sell Restaurant in Highway Area". Hartford Courant. Newspapers.com. January 24, 1963. p. 46. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
  8. ↑ "City/Town of Union Historical Election Results". electionhistory.ct.gov. Connecticut Office of the Secretary of the State. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 "Lawmaker Faces Court Penalty Rep. Anna Mae Pallanck of Union Convicted of Firing on Highway Crew". Connecticut Post. Newspapers.com. December 6, 1957. p. 14. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
  10. ↑ "1958 Statement of Vote State of Connecticut Public Document No. 26". ct.gov. Connecticut Office of the Secretary of the State. p. 35. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2026. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Central Committee Names Mrs. Lewis, John Mullen". Hartford Courant. Newspapers.com. May 26, 1964. p. 5. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Mrs. Pallanck to Seek Central Committee Post". Hartford Courant. Newspapers.com. May 21, 1964. p. 60. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Mrs. Pallanck Seeks GOP Job". Hartford Courant. Newspapers.com. July 16, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  14. 1 2 "Anna Pallanck Chosen As 1st Selectwoman". Hartford Courant. Newspapers.com. March 28, 1974. p. 107. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Mrs. Pallanck First Woman on Zoning Bd". The Republican. Newspapers.com. July 20, 1966. p. 24. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  16. ↑ Shea, Jack (May 6, 1981). "State Trooper Johnston Elected First Selectman". Hartford Courant. Newspapers.com. p. 118. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  17. ↑ "First Selectwoman Pallanck Retains Town Leadership". Hartford Courant. Newspapers.com. May 6, 1975. p. 24. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Union State Rep. Pallanck Arrested On Assault Charges". Naugatuck Daily News. Newspapers.com. July 23, 1957. p. 10. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Fence-Builders Fired Upon". The Day. Newspapers.com. July 23, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  20. 1 2 "Arguments To Be Given In Pallanck Case Today". Hartford Courant. Newspapers.com. December 5, 1957. p. 5. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Woman Solon Found Guilty Of Assault". The Record-Journal. Newspapers.com. December 6, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Woman Who Fired Shots In Dispute Loses Appeal". Hartford Courant. Newspapers.com. July 1, 1959. p. 8. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
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