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1956 Massachusetts elections

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1956 Massachusetts general election

← 1954 November 6, 1956 1958 →

Part of the
1956 United States elections

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

The election included:

Democratic and Republican candidates were selected in party primaries held on September 18, 1956.

Governor

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

Lieutenant governor

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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%

County results
Murphy:      50–60%      60–70%
Gibbons:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

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

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Candidates

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Results

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Gibbons was unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Results

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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

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Results

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Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1956
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Robert F. Murphy 1,158,704 51.23% Increase4.00
Republican Charles Gibbons 1,082,113 47.84% Decrease4.17
Socialist Labor Francis A. Votano 13,286 0.59% Increase0.10
Prohibition Harold E. Bassett 7,894 0.39% Increase0.12
Total votes 2,261,997 100.00%

Attorney general

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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

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Candidates

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Results

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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

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Candidates

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Results

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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

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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

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Candidates

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

Results

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1956 Secretary of the Commonwealth Democratic primary[4]
Party 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

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Candidates

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  • 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

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Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Election, 1956[3]
Party 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

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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

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Candidates

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Results

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1956 Treasurer and Receiver-General Democratic primary[5]
Party 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

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Candidates

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Results

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Massachusetts Treasurer and Receiver-General Election, 1956[3]
Party 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

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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

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1946 Auditor election[3]
Party 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

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  1. ^ Election Statistics. 1956.
  2. ^ Massachusetts Election Statistics 1956. p. 247.
  3. ^ a b c d Massachusetts Election Statistics 1956. p. 5.
  4. ^ Massachusetts Election Statistics 1956. p. 233.
  5. ^ Massachusetts Election Statistics 1956. p. 238.