| Elections in Massachusetts |
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A Massachusetts general election was held on November 4, 1958, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The election included:
- statewide elections for United States Senator, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of the Commonwealth, Treasurer, and Auditor;
- district elections for U.S. Representatives, State Representatives, State Senators, and Governor's Councillors; and
- ballot questions at the state and local levels.
Democratic and Republican candidates were selected in party primaries held on September 9, 1958.
Governor
Democrat Foster Furcolo was re-elected over Republican Charles Gibbons, Socialist Labor candidate Henning A. Blomen, and Prohibition candidate Guy S. Williams.
George Fingold was the only candidate in the Republican primary, however he died nine days before the primary.[1] Gibbons won the nomination as a write-in candidate.[2]
Lieutenant governor
Democrat Robert F. Murphy was re-elected Lieutenant Governor over Republican Elmer C. Nelson, Socialist Labor candidate Francis A. Votano, and Prohibition candidate Harold E. Bassett.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Robert F. Murphy, incumbent Lieutenant Governor
Results
Lt. Governor Murphy was unopposed for renomination.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Elmer C. Nelson, former Chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party
Results
Nelson was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert F. Murphy | 1,112,001 | 60.34% |  9.11
| |
| Republican | Elmer C. Nelson | 711,362 | 38.60% |  9.24
| |
| Socialist Labor | Francis A. Votano | 11,230 | 0.61% | 0.02
| |
| Prohibition | Harold E. Bassett | 8,300 | 0.45% | 0.06
| |
| Total votes | 1,842,893 | 100.00% | |||
Attorney general
Incumbent attorney general George Fingold ran for Governor instead of seeking reelection. He died on August 31, 1958, and Edward J. McCormack Jr., who won the Democratic primary over Endicott Peabody, was chosen by the Massachusetts General Court to finish his term.
McCormack defeated Republican Christian A. Herter Jr., Socialist Workers candidate Charles A. Couper, and Prohibition candidate Gustaf B. Nissan in the general election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Edward J. McCormack Jr., former Boston City Council member and nominee for Attorney General in 1956
- Endicott Peabody, former Governor Council member from Lawrence
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Edward J. McCormack Jr. | 238,477 | 54.63% | |
| Democratic | Endicott Peabody | 198,016 | 45.37% | |
| Write-in | 12 | 0.00% | ||
| Total votes | 436,505 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Edward J. McCormack Jr. | 973,303 | 52.01% | 3.15
| |
| Republican | Christian A. Herter Jr. | 888,385 | 47.47% | 3.11
| |
| Socialist Workers | Charles A. Couper | 6,048 | 0.32% | 0.03
| |
| Prohibition | Gustaf B. Nissan | 3,598 | 0.19% | 0.01
| |
| Write-in | 11 | 0.00% | 
| ||
| Total votes | 1,871,345 | 100.00% | |||
Secretary of the Commonwealth
Incumbent Secretary of the Commonwealth Edward J. Cronin defeated Republican Marion Curran Boch, Socialist Labor candidate Fred M. Ingersoll, and Prohibition candidate Julia Kohler in the general election.
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Edward J. Cronin (incumbent) | 1,136,783 | 62.38% | 8.98
| |
| Republican | Marion Curran Boch | 668,217 | 36.67% | 9.08
| |
| Socialist Workers | Fred M. Ingersoll | 9,547 | 0.52% | 0.11
| |
| Prohibition | Julia Kohler | 7,814 | 0.43% | 0.02
| |
| Write-in | 1 | 0.00% |
| ||
Aftermath
Cronin died 20 days after the election.[5]
Treasurer and Receiver-General
Incumbent Treasurer and Receiver-General John Francis Kennedy defeated Woburn Mayor William G. Shaughnessy in the Democratic primary and Republican State Senator John Yerxa, Socialist Labor candidate John Erlandsson, and Prohibition candidate Warren Carberg in the general election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- John Francis Kennedy, incumbent Treasurer
- William G. Shaughnessy, mayor of Woburn
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Francis Kennedy (incumbent) | 256,155 | 61.78% | ||
| Democratic | William G. Shaughnessy | 158,447 | 38.22% | ||
| Total votes | 414,602 | 100.00% | |||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Francis Kennedy (incumbent) | 1,140,765 | 62.00% | 8.96
| |
| Republican | John Yerxa | 684,954 | 37.23% | 9.03
| |
| Socialist Workers | John Erlandsson | 7,814 | 0.42% | 0.07
| |
| Socialist Workers | Warren Carberg | 6,382 | 0.34% | 0.01
| |
| Write-in | 25 | 0.00% |
| ||
Auditor
Incumbent Auditor Thomas J. Buckley defeated Republican Thomas H. Adams, Socialist Labor candidate Arne Sortell, and Prohibition candidate John B. Lauder in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Thomas J. Buckley (incumbent) | 1,150,267 | 63.26% | 6.07
| |
| Republican | Thomas H. Adams | 654,808 | 36.01% | ||
| Socialist Workers | Arne Sortell | 7,698 | 0.42% | ||
| Prohibition | John B. Lauder | 5,621 | 0.31% | ||
United States Senator
Democrat John F. Kennedy was re-elected over Republican Vincent J. Celeste, Socialist Labor candidate Lawrence Gilfedder, and Prohibition candidate Mark R. Shaw.
References
- ^ "George Fingold is Dead at 49. Massachusetts Attorney General; G.O.P.Candidate for Governor Had Campaigned Saturday --Serving Third Term". New York Times. September 1, 1958.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MA Governor- R Primary Race - Sep 09, 1958".
- ^ Massachusetts Election Statistics 1958. p. 65.
- ^ a b c d Massachusetts Election Statistics 1958. p. 5.
- ^ "Edward J. Cronin". New York Times. November 25, 1958.
- ^ Massachusetts Election Statistics 1958. p. 62.