1956 Massachusetts general election

← 1954

November 6, 1956

1958 →

Part of the
1956 United States elections

U.S. President
1788–89 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 Dem 2004 Dem 2008 Dem GOP 2012 2016 Dem GOP 2020 Dem GOP 2024 Dem GOP
U.S. Senate
Class 1: 1788 1790 1796 (S) 1796 1798 1800 (S) 1803 1808 (S) 1810 (S) 1811 1813 (S) 1815 1815 (S) 1816 (S) 1818 (S) 1820 1820 (S) 1822 1826 1827 1829 (S) 1833 1839 February 1841 (S) 1845 1851 1851 (S) 1857 1863 1869 1874 (S) 1875 1881 1887 1893 1899 1905 1911 1916 1922 1928 1934 1940 1946 1952 1958 1962 (S) 1964 1970 1976 1982 1988 1994 2000 2006 2010 (S) 2012 2018 2024 Class 2: 1788 1793 1796 1800 (S) 1803 (S) 1805 1810 1811 (S) 1816 1822 (S) 1826 (S) 1828 1835 January 1841 (S) 1841 1845 (S) 1847 1853 1855 (S) 1859 1865 1871 1873 (S) 1877 1883 1889 1895 1901 1905 (S) 1907 1913 1918 1924 1930 1936 1942 1944 (S) 1948 1954 1960 1966 1972 1978 1984 1990 1996 2002 2008 2013 (S) 2014 2020
U.S. House
1788/1789 1790/1792 1792/1793 1794/1795 1796/1797 1798/1799 1800/1801 1802/1803 1804 1806 1808 1810/1811 1812/1813 1814/1815 3rd 1816/1817 1818/1819 1820/1821 1822/1823 1824/1825 1826/1827 1828 1830/1832 1833/1834 1834/1835 1836 1838/1839 1840/1841 1842/1844 1844/1846 1846 1848/1850 1850/1851 1852 1854 1856 1858 1860 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1991 (1st) 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2001 (9th) 2002 2004 2006 2007 (5th) 2008 2010 2012 2013 (5th) 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022

State government

Governor
1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 Apr. 1831 Nov. 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
State Senate
1787 1824 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
State House
2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2020 2022
Governor's Council
2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Ballot measures
1980: Proposition 2½ 2002: English Language Education in Public Schools 2006: 2008 Greyhound Protection Sensible Marijuana Policy State Income Tax Repeal 2010: No Sales Tax for Alcohol Sales Tax Relief Comprehensive Permits and Regional Planning 2012: Right to Repair Death with Dignity Medical Marijuana 2014: Automatic Gas Tax Increase Repeal Expansion of Bottle Deposits Casino Repeal Paid Sick Days 2016: Expand Slot Machine Gaming Charter School Expansion Farm Animal Confinement Legalization, Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana 2018: Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination 2020: pending

Boston

Mayor
1822 1823 1824 Apr 1825 Dec 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844–45 Dec 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853–54 Dec 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1910 1914 1917 1921 1925 1929 1933 1937 1941 1945 1949 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025
City council
1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023

Springfield

A Massachusetts general election was held on November 6, 1956, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The election included:

statewide elections for 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 18, 1956.

Governor

Further information: Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1956

Democrat Foster Furcolo was elected over Republican Sumner G. Whittier, Socialist Labor candidate Henning A. Blomen, and Prohibition candidate Mark R. Shaw.

Lieutenant governor

1956 Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor election

← 1954

1958 →


Nominee	Robert F. Murphy	Charles Gibbons
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	1,158,704	711,362
Percentage	51.2%	47.8%

Lieutenant Governor before election

Sumner Whittier
Republican

Elected Lieutenant Governor

Robert F. Murphy
Democratic

Incumbent lieutenant governor Sumner Whitter ran for governor.

Democrat Robert F. Murphy was elected lieutenant governor over Republican Charles Gibbons, Socialist Labor candidate Francis A. Votano, and Prohibition candidate Harold E. Bassett.

Republican primary

Candidates

Charles Gibbons, former Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives

Results

Gibbons was unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Democratic primary

Candidates

James A. Burke, former state representative from Milton and candidate for lieutenant Gtovernor in 1954
Robert F. Murphy, former House Minority Leader and nominee for governor in 1954
George A. Wells, executive councilor

Results

1956 Democratic lieutenant gubernatorial primary^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert F. Murphy	280,781	62.06%
	Democratic	James A. Burke	95,111	21.02%
	Democratic	George A. Wells	76,514	16.92%
Total votes			452,406	100.00%

General election

Results

Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1956
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Robert F. Murphy	1,158,704	51.23%	4.00
	Republican	Charles Gibbons	1,082,113	47.84%	4.17
	Socialist Labor	Francis A. Votano	13,286	0.59%	0.10
	Prohibition	Harold E. Bassett	7,894	0.39%	0.12
Total votes			2,261,997	100.00%

Attorney general

1956 Massachusetts Attorney General election

← 1954

1958 →


Nominee	George Fingold	Edward J. McCormack Jr.
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	1,152,348	1,113,105
Percentage	50.1%	48.9%

Attorney General before election

George Fingold
Republican

Elected Attorney General

George Fingold
Republican

Republican attorney general George Fingold was re-elected over Democrat Edward J. McCormack Jr., Socialist Workers candidate Fred M. Ingersol, and Prohibition candidate Howard Rand in the general election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Edward J. McCormack Jr., president of the Boston City Council
Joseph D. Ward, State Representative from Fitchburg

Results

Massachusetts Attorney General Democratic Primary, 1956^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Edward J. McCormack Jr.	250,916	55.17%
	Democratic	Joseph D. Ward	203,923	44.83%
	Write-in		7	0.00%
Total votes			454,839	100.00%

General election

Candidates

George Fingold, incumbent attorney general (Republican)
Fred M. Ingersoll (Socialist Workers)
Edward J. McCormack Jr., president of the Boston City Council (Democratic)
Howard Rand (Prohibition)

Results

Massachusetts Attorney General Election, 1956^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Fingold (incumbent)	1,152,348	50.58%
	Democratic	Edward J. McCormack Jr.	1,113,105	48.86%
	Socialist Workers	Fred M. Ingersoll	7,983	0.35%
	Prohibition	Howard Rand	4,779	0.20%
	Write-in		7	0.00%
Total votes			2,278,222	100.00%

Secretary of the Commonwealth

Incumbent Secretary of the Commonwealth Edward J. Cronin defeated Republican Senate President Richard I. Furbush, Prohibition candidate Earl Dodge, and Socialist Labor candidate Lawrence Gilfedder in the general election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Edward J. Cronin, incumbent Secretary of the Commonwealth
Robert Emmet Dinsmore

Results

1956 Secretary of the Commonwealth Democratic primary^[4]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Edward J. Cronin (incumbent)	366,019	83.79%
Democratic	Robert Emmet Dinsmore	70,813	16.21%
Write-in		1	0.00%

General election

Candidates

Edward J. Cronin, incumbent Secretary of the Commonwealth (Democratic)
Earl Dodge, executive secretary of the Massachusetts Prohibition Party (Prohibition)
Richard I. Furbush, president of the Massachusetts Senate (Republican)
Lawrence Gilfedder (Socialist Workers)

Results

Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Election, 1956^[3]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Edward J. Cronin (incumbent)	1,196,746	53.40%
Republican	Richard I. Furbush	1,025,295	45.75%
Prohibition	Earl Dodge	10,030	0.45%
Socialist Workers	Lawrence Gilfedder	9,181	0.41%
Write-in		5	0.00%

Treasurer and receiver-general

Incumbent treasurer and receiver-general John Francis Kennedy defeated Norwood Selectman Clement A. Riley, John F. Buckley, John M. Kennedy, and Henry Joseph Hurley in the Democratic primary and Republican Robert H. Beaudreau, Socialist Labor candidate Willy N. Hogseth, and Prohibition candidate Isaac Goddard in the general election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

John F. Buckley
Henry Joseph Hurley
John Francis Kennedy, incumbent treasurer and receiver-general
John M. Kennedy
Clement A. Riley, Norwood selectman and candidate for treasurer in 1954

Results

1956 Treasurer and Receiver-General Democratic primary^[5]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	John Francis Kennedy (incumbent)	186,382	40.83%
Democratic	Clement A. Riley	127,242	27.87%
Democratic	John F. Buckley	72,019	15.79%
Democratic	John M. Kennedy	43,925	9.62%
Democratic	Henry Joseph Hurley	26,881	5.89%
Write-in		1	0.00%

General election

Candidates

Robert H. Beaudreau, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts (Republican)
Isaac Goddard (Prohibition)
Willy N. Hogseth (Socialist Workers)
John Francis Kennedy, incumbent treasurer and receiver-general (Democratic)

Results

Massachusetts Treasurer and Receiver-General Election, 1956^[3]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	John Francis Kennedy (incumbent)	1,196,626	53.04%
Republican	Robert H. Beaudreau	1,043,812	46.26%
Socialist Workers	Willy N. Hogseth	7,970	0.35%
Prohibition	Issac Goddard	7,887	0.35%
Write-in		5	0.00%

Auditor

Incumbent auditor Thomas J. Buckley defeated Republican Joseph A. Nobile, Socialist Labor candidate Anthony Martin, and Prohibition candidate John B. Lauder in the general election.

General election

1946 Auditor election^[3]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Thomas J. Buckley (incumbent)	1,278,635	57.19%
Republican	Joseph A. Nobile	937,570	41.94%
Socialist Workers	Anthony Martin	13,353	0.60%
Prohibition	John B. Lauder	6,153	0.28%
Write-in		4	0.00%

References

^ Election Statistics. 1956.
^ Massachusetts Election Statistics 1956. p. 247.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Massachusetts Election Statistics 1956. p. 5.
^ Massachusetts Election Statistics 1956. p. 233.
^ Massachusetts Election Statistics 1956. p. 238.

v t e State elections in Massachusetts
General	1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1982 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Governor	1780 1781 1782 1783 1784 1785 1786 1787 1788 1789 1790 1791 1792 1793 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 (April) 1831 (November) 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1868 1869 1870 1871 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Mass. Senate	1787 1788 ... 1824 ... 1908 ... 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Mass. House	2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Gov.'s Council	2002 2006 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
"s/" = Special election See also: Political party strength in Massachusetts For federal elections, see Template:Federal elections in Massachusetts footer.