Frank J. Donahue

Frank J. Donahue
18th Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
In office
1913–1915
Preceded byAlbert P. Langtry
Succeeded byAlbert P. Langtry
Chairperson of the Massachusetts Democratic Party
In office
1928–1932
Preceded byCharles H. McGlue
Succeeded byJoseph A. Maynard
Associate Justice of the
Massachusetts Superior Court
In office
1932–1973
Nominated byJoseph B. Ely
Preceded byCharles Donahue
Succeeded byRoger J. Donahue
Personal details
BornFrank Joseph Donahue
(1881-08-02)August 2, 1881
Needham, Massachusetts
DiedAugust 24, 1979(1979-08-24) (aged 98)
Boston, Massachusetts
PartyDemocratic
Spouse
  • Alice Lovely
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1907; died 1961)​
Children3
EducationMassachusetts College of Pharmacy
Suffolk Law School
ProfessionPharmacist
Journalist

Frank Joseph Donahue (August 2, 1881 – August 24, 1979) was an American politician who served as the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee,[1] and as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court.[2] He was the first Democrat to serve as Secretary of the Commonwealth.[3]

Early life

Donahue was born in Needham, Massachusetts on August 2, 1881. He attended the Needham public schools, The English High School, and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. He became a registered druggist at the age of 19.[3]

After contributing opinion pieces to the Needham weekly newspaper, Donahue gave up being a pharmacist to become a newspaper writer.[3] He joined the staff of the Boston American when the paper was formed in 1904.[4] In 1907, he became the city hall reporter for the Boston Daily Tribune.[5] He was later transferred to the state house.[3] He also served as managing editor of Practical Politics, a political magazine.[4]

Donahue's first political involvement came with the Needham Democratic committee. He was elected to the Needham park commission at the age of 21 and was secretary of the board from 1903 to 1905. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the state legislature, winning in his hometown, but losing in the district's other towns.[3]

Personal life

In 1907, Donahue married Alice Lovely of Newton, Massachusetts. That same year, he moved to Boston to further his career in journalism.[3] They had three sons – Frank Jr., Roger, and Malcolm. Alice Donahue died in 1961.[4]

Secretary of the Commonwealth

Donahue was the Democratic Party's nominee for Secretary of the Commonwealth in the 1911 legislative election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of William M. Olin. The Republicans had a majority in the legislature and elected their candidate, Albert P. Langtry.[3]

Donahue was a Democratic for the Secretary of the Commonwealth candidate in the 1911 election. He defeated the state committee's favored candidate, Edward O. Skelton, in the party primary, by nearly 44,000 votes.[6] He lost the general election to Langtry 206,968 votes to 178,530.[7]

Donahue won the Democratic nomination in 1912 without opposition.[3] Before the election, the Progressive Party split from the Republican Party. The Republican vote was split between the Republicans and Progressives. Donahue defeated Langtry by a plurality of 4,576 votes.[8]
42,642 (1913)[9][10]

In the 1913 election, the Progressives and Republicans again nominated candidates for Secretary of the Commonwealth. Donahue was reelected by a 42,642 plurality.[9]

In 1914, Langtry defeated Donahue, 200,549 votes to 189,889. The Progressive nominee, Russell A. Wood, received only 31,778 votes.[11]

Post-secretary career

On December 9, 1914, Donahue was appointed to the Massachusetts Industrial Accident Board by Governor David I. Walsh. The appointment was immediately confirmed by the Massachusetts Governor's Council and he took office on January 20, 1915.[12] He was reappointed by three Republican governors.[4]

Donahue read law and was admitted to the bar in 1918. He graduated from Suffolk Law School in 1921.[4]

On July 21, 1928, Donahue was elected chairman of the Democratic state committee with little opposition. Clarence A. Barnes, a Republican candidate for attorney general, called Donahue's continued service on the nonpartisan accident board while serving as state party chairman improper and demanded his resignation. Republican governor Alvan T. Fuller, disagreed and did not place any pressure on Donahue to resign. Donahue resigned in September 1928, but did not give a reason for his departure.[13]

In 1931, Governor Joseph B. Ely appointed Donahue chairman of the Fall River board of commissioners, which was tasked with overseeing the financial affairs of the city until 1941.[14] He resigned unexpectedly on February 10, 1932.[15]

On January 3, 1932, Donahue was elected to fill the unexpired term of Massachusetts' Democratic national committee, Edward W. Quinn, who died the previous year. He was unable to attend the state committee meeting where he was elected due to illness.[16] He was taken to Trumbull Hospital in Brookline, Massachusetts that evening and was reported to be in serious condition.[17] He was released from the hospital on January 27.[18]

Massachusetts Superior Court

In 1932, Ely appointed Donahue to fill the vacancy on the Massachusetts Superior Court caused by Charles Donahue's elevation to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.[19] From 1938 to 1958, Donahue was chairman of the Judicial Council. He continued to serve on the Superior Court until the Constitutional Amendment of 1973 forced him to retire.[20] He was succeeded by his son, Roger J. Donahue.[21][22]

Death

Donahue died on August 24, 1979 at New England Baptist Hospital. He was 98 years old.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Hennessey, Michael E. (1971) [1935]. Four Decades of Massachusetts Politics, 1890-1935. Massachusetts: Ayer Publishing. p. 544. ISBN 0-8369-5700-8.
  2. ↑ Hennessey, Michael E. (1971) [1935]. Four Decades of Massachusetts Politics, 1890-1935. Massachusetts: Ayer Publishing. p. 153. ISBN 0-8369-5700-8.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "First Democrat to be Secretary of State". The Boston Globe. January 12, 1913.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Driscoll, Edgar (August 25, 1979). "Judge Frank J. Donahue at 98; 40 years on bench". The Boston Globe.
  5. ↑ "Boston Tribune To Print General News". The Fourth Estate: 4. September 14, 1907. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Lightest Vote In Years In Boston". The Boston Globe. September 27, 1911.
  7. ↑ Number of assessed polls, registered voters and persons who voted in each voting precinct in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at the state, city and town elections. 1911. p. XXV. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
  8. ↑ Hennessy, Michael Edmund (1917), Twenty-five Years of Massachusetts Politics: from Russell to McCall, 1890-1915, Boston, Ma: Practical Politics, p. 311
  9. 1 2 Hennessy, Michael Edmund (1917), Twenty-five Years of Massachusetts Politics: from Russell to McCall, 1890-1915, Boston, Ma: Practical Politics, p. 349
  10. ↑ Hennessy, Michael Edmund (1917), Twenty-five Years of Massachusetts Politics: from Russell to McCall, 1890-1915, Boston, Massachusetts: Practical Politics, pp. 325–326
  11. ↑ Number of assessed polls, registered voters and persons who voted in each voting precinct in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at the state, city and town elections. 1914. p. 384. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Walsh Names Sec Donahue". The Boston Globe. December 10, 1914.
  13. ↑ "Frank J. Donahue Quits State Board". The Boston Globe. September 29, 1928.
  14. ↑ "Donahue Chairman of Fall River Board". The Boston Globe. February 22, 1931.
  15. ↑ "Lahey Prominent In Fall River Affairs". The Boston Globe. February 11, 1932.
  16. ↑ "Donahue Given National Post". The Boston Globe. January 3, 1932.
  17. ↑ "Donahue's Condition Is Reported Serious". The Boston Globe. January 4, 1932.
  18. ↑ "Chairman Donahue Out of Hospital". The Boston Globe. January 29, 1932.
  19. ↑ "Donahue Named For High Court". The Boston Globe. May 5, 1932.
  20. ↑ Report of the Judicial Council of Massachusetts. p. 144. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  21. ↑ Marquard, Bryan (November 20, 2009), Roger J. Donahue, at 86; was Superior Court judge, Boston, Massachusetts: The Boston Globe
  22. ↑ The Cape Cod Times (October 30, 2009), The Honorable Roger J. Donahue, 86 - WWII vet; retired Mass. Superior Court Judge, Barnstable, Massachusetts: The Cape Cod Times
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