Robert T. Bushnell
30th Attorney General of Massachusetts
In office
1941–1945
GovernorLeverett Saltonstall
Preceded byPaul A. Dever
Succeeded byClarence A. Barnes
Middlesex County District Attorney
In office
1927–1931
Preceded byArthur K. Reading
Succeeded byWarren L. Bishop
Personal details
Born
Robert Tyng Bushnell

January 9, 1896
New York City, U.S.
DiedOctober 23, 1949 (1949-10-24) (aged 53)[1]
New York City, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseSylvia P. Folsom (1924-1949) [2]
Residence(s)West Newton, Massachusetts
New York City[3]
Alma materHarvard University
ProfessionLawyer

Robert Tyng Bushnell (January 9, 1896 — October 23, 1949) was an American politician who served as Massachusetts Attorney General from 1941 to 1945.

Early life and career

Born in New York City, Robert Tyng Bushnell graduated from Phillips Andover Academy, Harvard College, and Harvard Law School.[4]

From 1927 to 1931, Bushnell served as District Attorney of Middlesex County,[5] President of the Republican Club of Massachusetts,[6] and chairman of the Boston chapter of the Motion Picture Research Council[7] before being elected Attorney General.

Attorney General of Massachusetts

As Attorney General, Bushnell lead the investigation into the Cocoanut Grove fire.[8] Bushnell's investigation resulted a reform of fire codes and club owner Barney Welansky being convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

In 1941, Bushnell and state representative Benjamin Priest conducted the prosecution during the impeachment trial of Massachusetts Governor's Councilor Daniel H. Coakley. On October 2, 1941, the Massachusetts Senate found Coakley guilty on 10 of the 14 articles on impeachment. The Senate voted 28 to 10 to remove Coakley from office and 23 to 15 to bar him for life from holding a place of "profit or honor or trust" in the Commonwealth.[9]

In 1942, Bushnell tried to have fascist leader Edward Holton James committed to a psychiatric state hospital after he was indicted on charges of criminal libel.[10]

In 1943, he indicted Boston Police Commissioner Joseph F. Timilty and six of his subordinates on charges of conspiracy to permit the operation of gambling houses and the registration of bets.[11]

Death

Bushnell died of a heart attack on October 23, 1949, in his suite at the Hotel Royalton in New York City.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Bushnell, Robert Tyng (1896-1949)". Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  2. ↑ Richard T. Howard. Public Officials of Massachusetts 1941-42. Richard T. Howard.
  3. ↑ Richard T. Howard. Public Officials of Massachusetts 1941-42. Richard T. Howard.
  4. ↑ Public Officials of Massachusetts 1941-42. Richard T. Howard. 1941. p. 26.
  5. ↑ "Bushnell, Robert Tyng (1896-1949)". Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  6. ↑ "CURLEYISM' DOOMED, REPUBLICAN ASSERTS; Dog Racing in Massachusetts Will Also Go, R.T. Bushnell Declares at Wayland". New York Times. August 25, 1935.
  7. ↑ "Block Booking System Flayed". Los Angeles Times. April 6, 1939.
  8. ↑ FRANK S. ADAMS (December 2, 1942). "BOSTON SHUTS CLUBS AND BEGINS INQUIRY; Suspends Licenses and Halts Entertainment at 1,161 Other Establishments DOORS LOCKED, MANY SAY Witnesses Tell of Cocoanut Grove Flight -- Death List Is Revised Down to 474". New York Times.
  9. ↑ Harris, John G. (June 14, 1941). "Coakley Outsted: Guilty on 10 Counts". The Boston Daily Globe.
  10. ↑ "James, Leader of Harvard Fascists, Called Sane In New Trial Deferment". The Harvard Crimson. July 6, 1942. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  11. ↑ "Heads of Boston Police Indicted In Plot to Permit Gaming Houses; HEADS OF POLICE INDICTED IN BOSTON". New York Times. March 28, 1943.
  12. ↑ "Robert Bushnell Dies Suddenly in N.Y. Hotel". The Boston Daily Globe. p. 25. Retrieved March 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.