Table of Contents
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Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids
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| Collection |
| Title: | John A. Volpe papers |
| Dates: |
1943-1983 |
| Call Number: | M67 |
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Biographical Note
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John Anthony Volpe was born in Wakefield, Massachusetts on Dec 8, 1908. Born to Italian immigrant parents, he grew up in a hard-working, close-knit family, internalizing the values of persistence and faith that would carry him through his public career.
During the Depression, Volpe followed his father Vito into the construction business, carrying a plastering hod during the day and attending Wentworth Technological Institute at night as a student in architectural engineering. Volpe started his own construction firm, the Grande-Volpe Company in 1933, then left and started the Volpe Construction Company in 1939.
After the United States entered the Second World War, Volpe decided to volunteer for the Navy in 1942. Rather than leave his business operations to others, he closed Volpe Construction and created a military unit from its workers. He worked stateside during the war as an administrative officer in the Sea-Bees, bringing his management skills to bear as a training officer.
After the war, Volpe returned to the construction business. But while watching the Kefauver corruption hearings in the early 1950's, he decided that men of principle were needed in public service. He contemplated a run for governor, but was instead appointed to be Commissioner of Public Works under Gov. Christian Herter, an old friend and fellow Republican, in 1953.
In the 1940s and 1950s, the Department of Public Works was one of the most famously corrupt and patronage-ridden sinecures in the Massachusetts government. Volpe came in with stringent reorganization plans and succeeded in improving the efficiency and honesty of the department. His work on the roadways around Boston was so forward-looking that it attracted the attention of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who asked Volpe to come to Washington to head the fledgling Federal Highway Administration. Volpe accepted a four-month interim appointment in Oct 1956 and worked to implement Eisenhower's interstate highway program.
Returning from Washington in Jan of 1957, Volpe decided to run for governor of Massachusetts. Running as an outsider under the slogan "Vote the Man. Vote Volpe," he defeated the Democratic incumbent, Vincent Furculo. But the victory was only the beginning. Dubbed "The Lonely Man of Beacon Hill," the Republican governor was faced with an overwhelmingly Democratic House and Senate, and had to struggle to push through his agenda. He persevered, pushing through a Code of Ethics and striving to clean up a government known for its bureaucratic intrigue.
Volpe was not reelected for the next term. Running against Endicott Peabody, the Democratic challenger, the gubernatorial election was the closest in Massachusetts history. Once in office, however, Peabody was not able to establish himself as a strong alternative to Volpe. He substantially reworked his public persona and swept Peabody out of office in the 1964 election, returning to the governor's office with a mandate.
The signal accomplishments of Volpe's second term as governor were the passage of a 3% sales tax and the amendment of the state constitution to make the governor's term four years long instead of two years. Riding the success of his tax program, with its new jobs and new revenues, Volpe was easily re-elected in 1966, to become Massachusetts' first four-year governor.
In 1968, Spiro Agnew was selected over Volpe as Richard Nixon's running mate. After the election, he was offered the position of Secretary of Transportation. Volpe took the position in 1969, and went on to champion highway safety and the continuing expansion of the federal interstate system he had begun under Eisenhower.
Upon Nixon's re-election, Volpe was offered the post of Ambassador to Italy in 1972, a position that drew on his natural affability, his boyhood language skills, and the strong ties to the Italian-American community that he had maintained throughout his entire adult life. Posted to Italy during a time of political and social upheaval there, he did much to strengthen American ties with Italy, while also weathering the international fallout from Watergate and the change of administration.
After Jimmy Carter's election, Volpe resigned his Italian post in 1977 and returned to private life. During his retirement, he continued to be involved in charitable organizations and the state GOP, particularly in the area of highway and driver safety. Volpe chaired a commission on drunk driving under President Ronald Reagan in 1982; it was his last official government role.
Volpe was a successful businessman and an accomplished public servant. Recognized by many for his sharp intellect, honesty, and loyalty, he received over 30 honorary degrees and was a member of many honorable associations, among them the Knights of Malta, the Society of American Military Engineers, the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, and the Sons of Italy. Volpe died on 11 Nov, 1994, survived by his wife, Jennie, and two children. |
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| Chronology |
| Dec 8, 1908 | Born in Wakefield, Massachusetts |
| Jun 18, 1934 | Married Jennie Benedetto |
| 1939 | Volpe Construction Co. created |
| 1942 | Volunteered for Seabees, United States Navy |
| Feb 1946 | Released from active duty as Lieutenant Commander; reopened Volpe Construction Co. |
| 1951-1953 | Appointed deputy state chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Committee |
| Feb 1953 | Appointed Commissioner of Department of the Public Works by Gov. Christian Herter |
| Oct 1956 | Commerce Secretary Sinclair Weeks asked Volpe to serve as first Federal Highway Administrator; he declined, then accepted interim appointment until 1957 |
| 1960 | Volpe elected governor of Mass., defeating Joseph Ward |
| 1962 | Volpe lost gubernatorial election to Endicott Peabody |
| 1963 | Retired as president of Volpe Construction Co. |
| 1964 | Volpe elected governor; 3% sales tax passed |
| 1966 | Volpe reelected governor |
| 1968 | Volpe considered as Vice Presidential running mate with Richard Nixon |
| 1968 | Nixon nominated Volpe as Secretary of Transportation |
| 1969 | Volpe resigned as Governor to become Secretary of Transportation |
| 1972 | Nixon reelected; Volpe offered ambassadorship to Italy |
| Jan 7, 1977 | Volpe sent resignation to President Ford after Jimmy Carter won election |
| Nov 11, 1994 | Died |
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| Bibliography |
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Kilgore, Kathleen. John Volpe: The Life of an Immigrant's Son. Dublin, N.H.: Yankee Books, 1987. E840.8.V64 K54 1987 |
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