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Robert H. Beaudreau

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Robert H. Beaudreau
United States Marshal for the District of Massachusetts
In office
1953–1956
Preceded byArthur J. B. Cartier
Succeeded byRalph W. Gray
Personal details
Born1912
Marlborough, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedOctober 3, 1980 (aged 67)
Marlborough, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationCollege of the Holy Cross
Harvard University (BA, LLB)
Military service
Branch/service United States Coast Guard
Battles/warsWorld War II

Robert H. Beaudreau (1912 – 1980) was an American attorney and jurist who served as a Massachusetts Superior Court judge.

Early life and education

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Beaudreau was born in 1912 in Marlborough, Massachusetts, to Superior Court Judge Raoul H. Beaudreau and Sarah H. (Rogers) Beaudreau.[1] He graduated from Marlborough High School in 1931 and went on to attend the College of the Holy Cross.[1][2] In 1932 he transferred to Harvard College, where he was an end on the varsity football team during his senior year.[1][2] He graduated from Harvard College in 1935 and Harvard Law School in 1938.[1][2]

Career

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In 1938, Middlesex District Attorney-elect Robert F. Bradford appointed Beaudreau to the position of list clerk, a job that held responsibilities similar to an office manager.[3][1] In 1941, he left the district attorney's office to become a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[4] Fluent in French, Beaudreau was assigned to Louisiana.[1] He also worked for the FBI in Washington, D.C., and New York City.[5]

From 1942 to 1946, Beaudreau was a member of the United States Coast Guard.[2] He served in both the European and Pacific theaters and was discharged with the rank of lieutenant.[5]

After World War II, Beaudreau worked as a trial attorney and opened law offices in Boston and Marlborough.[2] Most of his work was civil and he represented a number of Boston taxi companies.[1][5] In 1951 he was appointed to the position of deputy chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party alongside future Governor John A. Volpe, Northampton, Massachusetts Mayor Edwin L. Olander and James J. Gaffney Jr.[1] In 1953 he was appointed United States Marshal for Massachusetts.[6] He resigned in 1956 to run for State Treasurer.[7] He lost to Democrat John Francis Kennedy 53% to 46%.[8]

In 1961, Governor Volpe nominated Beaudreau to the position of state public safety commissioner.[9] However, the all-Democratic Massachusetts Governor's Council refused to act on the nomination and after four months of waiting, Beaudreau withdrew his name, stating that he was "the victim of a political plot of obstruction."[10] Instead, the council approved Beaudreau's nomination for a seat on the Industrial Accident Board later that year.[11] In 1962 he was nominated for a seat on the Massachusetts Superior Court.[12] He remained on the bench until his death on October 3, 1980, from cancer.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Bartlett, K.S. (June 3, 1951). "Republicans' Four New Deputy Chairmen Have Youth on Their Side". The Boston Daily Globe.
  2. ^ a b c d e Sullivan, Jerome (October 16, 1956). "Beaudreau: From FBI To Sea To Marshal". The Boston Daily Globe.
  3. ^ "Bradford Appoints Entirely New Staff In Middlesex District Attorney's Office". The Boston Daily Globe. December 16, 1938.
  4. ^ "Many Changes for Fall Term in Bradford's Office". The Boston Daily Globe. August 28, 1941.
  5. ^ a b c d "Judge Robert Beaudreau, 67; Presided in Superior Court". The Boston Globe. October 4, 1980.
  6. ^ "Lumbard Gets Lane's Post In Shift of U. S. Attorneys". The New York Times. February 28, 1953.
  7. ^ "Beaudreau Quits Marshal Post for Treasurer Race". The Boston Daily Globe. June 5, 1956.
  8. ^ Massachusetts Election Statistics 1956. 1956. p. 5.
  9. ^ Micciche, S. J. (February 16, 1961). "Beaudreau Named To State Safety Post". The Boston Globe.
  10. ^ Micciche, S. J. (June 22, 1961). "Beaudreau Pulls Out, Sees Political Plot". The Boston Globe.
  11. ^ "Council OK's Beaudreau for $14,000 Job". The Boston Globe. September 22, 1961.
  12. ^ Micciche, S. J. (December 13, 1962). "Volpe Picks Two Judges". The Boston Globe.
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts
1956
Succeeded by