John N. Dempsey

John N. Dempsey

John Noel Dempsey (born January 3, 1915 in Cahir , County Tipperary , Ireland , †  July 16, 1989 in Putnam , Connecticut ) was an American politician and governor of the US state of Connecticut. He was a member of the Democratic Party .

Early years and political advancement

Dempsey attended Providence College after immigrating from Ireland . He was then a member of Putnam City Council between 1938 and 1949. He was also Executive Secretary of Congresswoman Chase Going Woodhouse between 1946 and 1948 . He was then elected mayor of Putnam for six consecutive terms. He was also a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1949 to 1955 . He then was senior advisor to the Governor of Connecticut from 1955 to 1959. Dempsey was elected lieutenant governor of Connecticut in 1959, a position he held until 1961.

Connecticut Governor

After the resignation of Governor Abraham A. Ribicoff on January 24, 1961, Dempsey took office and served in that position until 1971. In 1969, the legislative leaders of both parties passed the Legislative Management Act to establish a knowledgeable support staff and the operating budget of the Control assembly. When Governor Dempsey vetoed the bill, both Houses voted unanimously against him, overriding his veto, so that the General Assembly developed into an equivalent government department. With this law, lawmakers were no longer dependent on senior officials for information or responses from senior party leaders. During his tenure, he served on the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations and the National Governors' Conference Executive Committee from 1968 to 1969 . He also chaired the New England Governors 'Conference from 1963 to 1965 and the Democratic Governors' Conference from 1969 to 1970 .

John N. Dempsey died on July 16, 1989 and was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery , Putnam.

Web links

• John Dempsey in the National Governors Association (English)
• John N. Dempsey in the database of Find a Grave (English)