25 Facts About Francis Sargent

Francis Williams Sargent was an American politician who served as the 64th governor of Massachusetts from 1969 to 1975.

Francis Sargent lost reelection in 1974 to Democrat Michael Dukakis, who would go on to be the Democratic Party's nominee for President in 1988.

Francis Sargent was known for his sharp wit and self-deprecating manner.

Francis Sargent received a special degree in architecture after completing four years of what was then a five-year program, rather than a normal graduation.

Francis Sargent served in World War II, fighting in Italy, earned a Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart.

Francis Sargent enlisted in 1942, volunteered for the ski troops, and rose from private to captain while serving with the 10th Mountain Division in Italy.

Francis Sargent served as the Director of Marine Fisheries for ten years, from 1947 to 1957.

Francis Sargent was appointed as the state Commissioner of Public Works in Massachusetts in 1964, a position he held for two years.

In 1962, Francis Sargent ran for a seat in the Massachusetts state Senate, but lost.

In 1966, Francis Sargent ran for and was elected as Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts with the slogan "Put Sarge in Charge".

In 1970, Francis Sargent won the gubernatorial election in his own right, defeating Boston Mayor Kevin White.

Francis Sargent retired from politics after running for reelection and being defeated by Democrat Michael Dukakis in the 1974 gubernatorial election.

When Francis Sargent first entered office, the budget was in turmoil because of spending increases on welfare and other benefits.

Francis Sargent tightened rules for qualifying for Medicaid and introduced a new corporate tax.

Francis Sargent was governor of the Commonwealth during the strife over school busing following Judge W Arthur Garrity's 1974 decision to desegregate Boston public schools through court-mandated redistricting of the Boston school system, including busing some students out of their neighborhoods to end a pattern of racial segregation in the schools.

Francis Sargent had previously vetoed attempts to repeal or water down the state's Racial Imbalance Act, which prohibited state aid to racially imbalanced school districts.

When Francis Sargent called for obeying the federal court order, anti-busing forces complained that he and his neighbors in the well-to-do suburban Boston town of Dover, Massachusetts, did not have to share any of the burden of desegregating Boston schools.

Francis Sargent was an avid fisherman on Cape Cod and became interested in the environment because he was frustrated by overfishing and the use of illegal nets.

Francis Sargent achieved renown among conservationists and advocates of a multi-modal urban transportation system by canceling most highway construction inside Route 128, with the exception of the Northern Expressway in 1970.

Francis Sargent became a strong advocate for changing the federal laws governing aid to states for highway construction so that more funds were available for mass transit projects such as subways and light-rail vehicles.

Francis Sargent made him Secretary of Transportation and he presided over the Boston Transportation Planning Review.

Francis Sargent continued to own the Goose Hummock sporting goods store until 1986.

Francis Sargent wrote a memoir in 1973 about their time in office, entitled The Governor's Wife: A View from Within.

In 1996, Francis Sargent's son was a candidate for the United States House of Representatives seat in Massachusetts's 10th congressional district in 1996.

Francis Sargent lost the Republican nomination to Edward B Teague III.