J. Henry Goguen

Joseph Henry Goguen (March 8, 1899 – December 15, 1982) was a Massachusetts teacher, politician and civil servant, who served as Member of the city council of Leominster, Massachusetts, as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, as the Massachusetts Public Safety Commissioner, the United States Marshall for the District of Massachusetts[2] and, from 1958 to 1959, as the acting Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Joseph Henry Goguen
Massachusetts Public Safety Commissioner
In office April 29, 1959 – July 20, 1961
Preceded by	Otis M. Whitney
Succeeded by	Frank S. Giles
Acting Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
In office December 1, 1958 – January 20, 1959
Preceded by	Edward J. Cronin
Succeeded by	Joseph D. Ward
United States Marshal for the District of Massachusetts
In office 1939–1947
Preceded by	John J. Murphy
Succeeded by	Arthur J. B. Cartier
Member of the city council of the Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Worcester House District[1]
In office 1931[1] – 1934[1]
Member of the city council of Leominster, Massachusetts[1]
In office 1929[1] – 1930[1]
Personal details
Born	March 8, 1899[2] Fitchburg, Massachusetts[2]
Died	December 15, 1982 (aged 83)[2]
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Corinne Lamoureux
Residence	Leominster, Massachusetts
Alma mater	College of the Holy Cross; B.A., 1922[2]
Profession	Teacher[1] U.S. Marshal Politician Civil servant

Early life and education

Joseph Henri Goguen was born to Olivier Goguen, and Marie (LeBlanc) Goguen, on March 8, 1899 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.[2] His parents came from New Brunswick and were of Acadian descent.[3] When Goguen was five years old his family moved to Leominster, Massachusetts.[3] Goguen attended parochial school in Leominster, a private school in Nova Scotia, Assumption High School, Assumption College, and the College of the Holy Cross; from which he received his B. A. in 1922.[4] Goguen commuted from Leominster to Worcester while attending Holy Cross and worked at a factory in Leominster during the summer. Gougen also studied at the Northeastern University School of Law, which had a campus in Worcester, and the Sorbonne in Paris.[3]

Family life

Goguen married Corinne Lamoureux.[5] They had one daughter, Janice.[3]

Academic career

After graduating from Holy Cross, Goguen became the head of the science department at Assumption College and taught there for almost a decade.[3]

Political career

Goguen became interested in politics early in life. At the age of 29 he was elected to the Leominster City Council. In 1928 he campaigned for Democratic presidential candidate Al Smith in both English and French. From 1932 to 1934, Goguen was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.[1][3] During the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Goguen received a federal appointment as the deputy collector of internal revenue for Massachusetts. On May 17, 1939, Roosevelt nominated Goguen for the position of United States Marshal for the District of Massachusetts. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 12 and was sworn in on July 1.[6][7] He was appointed to a second four-year term in 1943, but did not seek a third term in 1947.[8] From 1946-1974, Goguen was the President General of Union Saint-Jean-Baptiste d'Amérique, a national fraternal order and social club for Franco-Americans.[9] Goguen was named acting Secretary of the Commonwealth on December 1, 1958 following the death of Edward J. Cronin. He remained Secretary until the legislature elected Joseph D. Ward on January 20, 1959.[10] Later that year he was appointed by Governor Foster Furcolo to serve as commissioner of public safety.[11] Following the election of Republican Governor John A. Volpe in 1960, Goguen made an effort to retain his job. Volpe's first choice to replace Goguen, Robert H. Beaudreau, asked Volpe to withdraw his nomination because he felt the Democratic-controlled Executive Council was obstructing his nomination in order to keep Goguen. Volpe's second nominee, Frank S. Giles, was confirmed by the council on July 20, 1961, ending Goguen's tenure as commissioner.[12][13]

Goguen was an alternate delegate to the 1932, 1952, and 1956 Democratic National Conventions.

References

1. Howard, Richard T. (1933), Public Officials of Massachusetts (1933-1934), Boston, MA: The Boston Review, p. Page 169.
2. An inventory of Henri Goguen's papers at The American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives, retrieved October 16, 2015
3. Bartlett, K. S. (December 7, 1958). "In 1928 New Secretary of State Spoke French and English at Al Smith Rally". The Boston Daily Globe.
4. Boeri, David (1934), Worcester County: A Narrative History, Volume 3, American Historical Society, p. 312
5. Centre d'études acadiennes Anselme-Chiasson Fonds 1194 - Fonds Henry J. Goguen, retrieved October 17, 2015
6. "Goguen Confirmed As U. S. Marshal". The Boston Daily Globe. June 13, 1939.
7. "Goguen Sworn In As U. S. Marshal Of This District". The Boston Daily Globe. July 2, 1939.
8. "Goguen May Retire as Marshal Today". The Boston Daily Globe. October 2, 1947.
9. "SJB Educational Foundation History". Union Saint-Jean-Baptiste Educational Foundation. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
10. http://nass.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=4
11. Sullivan, Jerome (April 30, 1959). "Public Safety Commissioner Likes People and His New Job". The Boston Daily Globe.
12. Micciche, S. J. (June 22, 1961). "Beaudreau Pulls Out, Sees Political Plot". The Boston Globe.
13. Kenney, Robert B. (July 21, 1961). "Volpe Victor--Giles, Tyler OK'd by Council". The Boston Globe.