William F. Galvin

William Francis Galvin (born (1950-09-17)September 17, 1950) is an American politician who serves as the 27th Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.

For the Massachusetts State Representative, see William C. Galvin.
Bill Galvin
27th Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Assumed office
January 1, 1995
GovernorBill Weld
Paul Cellucci
Jane Swift (acting)
Mitt Romney
Deval Patrick
Charlie Baker
Preceded byMichael J. Connolly
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office
January 1979 – January 1991
Preceded byMichael Daly
Succeeded bySusan Tracy
Constituency19th Suffolk (1979–1991)
27th Suffolk (1975–1979)
Personal details
Born
William Francis Galvin

(1950-09-17) September 17, 1950
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Eileen Galvin
Children1 daughter
EducationBoston College (BA)
Suffolk University (JD)
Signature
WebsiteGovernment website

Early life

Galvin was born and raised in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston. He was taught by the Christian Brothers at Saint Mary's High School in Waltham, Massachusetts, class of 1968. He attended Boston College and graduated cum laude in 1972. He received a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School in 1976.

Career

Galvin began his political career in 1972 as an aide to the Massachusetts Governor's Council after graduating from Boston College, thanks to his connection with councilor Herb Connolly, whom Galvin had campaigned for. Galvin worked part-time at the Council while attending Suffolk Law School full-time.[1] Galvin won a special election to the open seat in the Massachusetts General Court in 1975, after State Representative Michael Daly departed from office; the race had nine candidates. Galvin became the Massachusetts state representative from the Allston-Brighton district, the same year he graduated from law school.[1] He was the Democratic nominee for Massachusetts State Treasurer in 1990, but was defeated by Republican Joe Malone.[1] It was during this election that he was given the nickname "The Prince of Darkness", in reference to his habit of working late into the night and making legislative deals behind closed doors.[2][3]He was first elected Secretary of the Commonwealth in 1994.[1]

Galvin has been an active participant in the National Association of Secretaries of State, serving first as Chairman of the Standing Committee on Securities, then as Co-Chairman of the Committee on Presidential Primaries.

At one point during the administration of Gov. Mitt Romney and Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, Galvin became the Acting Governor of Massachusetts when both Romney and Healey were out of the state. During the administration of former Acting Governor Jane Swift, Galvin automatically became Acting Governor whenever Swift left the state, since there was no lieutenant governor in office at the time. When Swift gave birth to twins in 2001, she chose to keep full executive authority and did not hand over the governorship at any point to Galvin.[1]

2006 election
Galvin's office in the State House, 2010

While it had been widely rumored that Galvin would run for Governor of Massachusetts in 2006 as a Democrat, he announced at the end of 2005 that he would instead seek reelection as Secretary of State. Voting rights advocate John Bonifaz had already declared that he would run for the office, and stayed in the race to challenge Galvin for re-election. However, Galvin defeated Bonifaz in the September 19 Democratic primary. Galvin defeated Green-Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein, a medical doctor and environmental health advocate who ran for Governor in 2002, in the November general election.

The Democratic primary race received relatively little attention or press coverage for most of 2006, but in the last few weeks before election, a controversy over Galvin's refusal to debate his opponent broke into the news with a front-page story in The Boston Sunday Globe.[4] This is the first time a front-page story appeared about this race in any major Boston paper.

2018 election

In November 2017, Boston City Council member Josh Zakim announced that he would run for Secretary of the Commonwealth, challenging fellow-Democrat Galvin in the 2018 election.[5] Amid the primary challenge, Galvin came out in favor of same-day voter registration and automatic voter registration.[6] Previously, Galvin had expressed skepticism of automatic voter registration, and had appealed a Superior Court ruling which struck down a state law requiring that voters be registered 20 days prior to an election in order to vote in it.[7][8][9] On June 2, 2018, Zakim won the endorsement of the Massachusetts Democratic Party at its state convention, defeating Galvin, 55% to 45%.[10] Galvin subsequently defeated Zakim in the Democratic primary on September 4, with 67% of the vote.[11] On November 6, Galvin won re-election as Secretary of the Commonwealth.[12]

Notable lawsuits

2008 UOCAVA violation settlement with Department of Justice

Galvin, as the Massachusetts' Secretary of State, was found to have violated the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act passed in 2002. The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, since the law had been enacted, had failed to report and collect the number sent and the number returned of absentee ballots from overseas Military personnel registered to vote in Massachusetts. After an investigation by the US Justice Department, a settlement was reached, requiring Galvin to comply with the law. The law requires each state (or commonwealth) to report on the ballots no later than 90 days after the date of each regularly scheduled general election for federal office. Each state must also make such a report available to the general public. The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division enforces the UOCAVA and the Voting Rights Act.[13]

2009 lawsuit against stockbroker Robert Jaffe

On January 14, 2009, Galvin filed suit against Robert Jaffe to compel Jaffe to testify about his role in the Bernard Madoff investment scandal. Jaffe, who lives in Weston, Massachusetts, and in Florida, counters that he is actually one of the victims of Madoff.[14] Jaffe is married to Ellen Shapiro, daughter of Boston philanthropist Carl Shapiro. Jaffe reportedly convinced the elder Shapiro to invest $250 million with Madoff about 10 days before Madoff's arrest.[15][16]

Further information: Robert Jaffe (stockbroker) § Civil lawsuits

Personal life

Galvin resides in Brighton, Massachusetts, with his wife, Eileen, and their daughter, Bridget. He owns a vacation home on Lake Winnipesaukee, in New Hampshire.

Electoral history
Massachusetts House of Representatives 27th Suffolk District Special Democratic Primary Election, 1975
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin 1,266 30.5
Democratic James Lawrence Sullivan 655 15.8
Democratic Michael Hanaon, Jr. 512 12.3
Democratic Ronald Capling 380 9.2
Democratic David Graham 375 9.0
Democratic Dante Mummolo 335 8.1
Democratic Donald Feener 319 7.7
Democratic Albert Mancini 161 3.9
Democratic Donald Williams 149 3.6
Massachusetts House of Representatives 27th Suffolk District Special Election, 1975
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin 517 100.0
Massachusetts House of Representatives 27th Suffolk District Election, 1976
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin (inc.) 5,131 100.0
Massachusetts House of Representatives 19th Suffolk District Election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin (inc.) 5,503 100.0
Massachusetts House of Representatives 19th Suffolk District Republican Primary Election, 1980
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican/Write-in William Francis Galvin (inc.) 124 47.1
Republican Joan Kiley 85 32.3
Republican Michael Marion 54 20.5
Massachusetts House of Representatives 19th Suffolk District Election, 1980
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin (inc.) 6,673 100.0
Write-ins Write-ins 2 0.0
Massachusetts House of Representatives 19th Suffolk District Election, 1982
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin (inc.) 5,230 100.0
Massachusetts House of Representatives 19th Suffolk District Election, 1984
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin (inc.) 8,248 100.0
Write-ins Write-ins 3 0.0
Massachusetts House of Representatives 19th Suffolk District Democratic Primary Election, 1986
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin (inc.) 3,311 65.5
Democratic Helene Solomon 1,744 34.5
Massachusetts House of Representatives 19th Suffolk District Election, 1986
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin (inc.) 5,044 99.9
Write-ins Write-ins 3 0.1
Massachusetts House of Representatives 19th Suffolk District Election, 1988
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin (inc.) 6,433 82.1
Republican Michael Wilcon 1,406 17.9
Massachusetts Treasurer Democratic Primary Election, 1990
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin 489,512 51.0
Democratic George Keverian 287,626 30.0
Democratic Dick Kraus 182,715 19.0
Democratic Write-ins 436 0.0
Massachusetts Treasurer Election, 1990
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Joseph Malone 1,298,521 57.2
Democratic William Francis Galvin 825,808 36.4
Independent High Tech David Nash 143,324 6.3
Write-ins Write-ins 753 0.0
Massachusetts Secretary of Commonwealth Democratic Primary Election, 1994
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin 262,018 63.7
Democratic Augusto Grace 148,785 36.2
Democratic Write-ins 418 0.1
Massachusetts Secretary of Commonwealth Election, 1994
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin 1,077,506 54.7
Republican Arthur Chase 813,068 41.3
Libertarian Peter Everett 77,584 3.9
Write-ins Write-ins 567 0.0
Massachusetts Secretary of Commonwealth Election, 1998
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin (inc.) 1,252,912 69.9
Republican Dale Jenkins, Jr. 451,556 25.2
Libertarian David Atkinson 87,196 4.9
Write-ins Write-ins 680 0.0
Massachusetts Secretary of Commonwealth Election, 2002
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin (inc.) 1,472,562 74.0
Republican Jack Robinson, III 516,260 25.9
Write-ins Write-ins 1,832 0.1
Massachusetts Secretary of Commonwealth Democratic Primary Election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin (inc.) 635,002 82.9
Democratic John Bonifaz 129,323 16.9
Democratic Write-ins 2,003 0.3
Massachusetts Secretary of Commonwealth Election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin (inc.) 1,638,594 82.0
Green-Rainbow Jill Stein 353,551 17.7
Write-ins Write-ins 5,715 0.3
Massachusetts Secretary of Commonwealth Election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin (inc.) 1,420,481 64.4
Republican William Campbell 720,967 32.7
Independent James Henderson 61,812 2.8
Write-ins Write-ins 1,425 0.1
Massachusetts Secretary of Commonwealth Election, 2014
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin (inc.) 1,395,616 67.4
Republican David D'arcangelo 597,491 28.9
Green-Rainbow Daniel Factor 74,789 3.6
Write-ins Write-ins 1,421 0.1
Massachusetts Secretary of Commonwealth Democratic Primary Election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin (inc.) 435,244 67.4
Democratic Josh Zakim 209,047 32.4
Democratic Write-ins 1,605 0.2
Massachusetts Secretary of Commonwealth Election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Francis Galvin (inc.) 1,860,189 70.83
Republican Anthony Amore 667,433 25.41
Green-Rainbow Juan Sanchez 98,831 3.76
gollark: I can manage as many as two tasks at once with heavy context switching.
gollark: There *are* teleporters in this pack, though they are very expensive.
gollark: Yes, I'll just casually travel 10000 blocks.
gollark: Birch Forest, why?
gollark: 823 -9524

References
  1. Gitell, Seth (March 8, 2001). "Waiting in the wings: If Jane Swift needs even a little time off after giving birth to twins, the secretary of state is ready, willing, and — most bet — eager to become acting governor". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  2. Katie Zezima (November 27, 2003). "A Job Transformed: Paper-Pusher to Junkyard Dog - The New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  3. https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/06/05/major-fight-looms-for-beacon-hill-prince-darkness/Py2fcNeaogfUarJvs4zw5O/story.html
  4. "Boston.com". Boston.com. September 3, 2006. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  5. Buell, Spencer (November 28, 2017). "A Fellow Democrat Says It's Time for Secretary William Galvin to Go". Boston. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  6. "Could the longest-serving statewide elected official lose his job?". Boston.com. June 4, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  7. "With a commitment to social justice, upstart secretary of state candidate travels to Berkshires | theberkshireedge.com". Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  8. "Group pushes for automatic voter registration in Mass. – The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  9. "States with Election Day registration see bonus for democracy – The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  10. Stout, Matt; Phillips, Frank. "In convention upset, Josh Zakim bests William Galvin for Democrats' endorsement". The Boston Globe.
  11. "2018 Secretary of the Commonwealth Democratic Primary". electionstats.state.ma.us. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  12. "Massachusetts Election Results". The New York Times. November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  13. Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Massachusetts Secretary of State for Noncompliance with Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act Press Release. (October 22, 2008) United States Department of Justice
  14. "William Galvin Sues Salesman Robert Jaffe – Demands Testimony", Boston Herald (January 15, 2009)
  15. "Connection to Bernard Madoff Made Robert Jaffe a 'Superstar'", Palm Beach Daily News (December 21, 2008)
  16. "Beth Healy, "Madoff Associate Jaffe Skips State Hearing", ''Boston Globe'' (January 14, 2009)". Boston.com. January 14, 2009. Retrieved May 11, 2020.

Further reading
Political offices
Preceded by
Michael Connolly		 Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
1995–present		 Incumbent
Lines of succession
Preceded by
Karyn Polito
as Lieutenant Governor		 2nd in line
as Secretary of the Commonwealth		 Succeeded by
Maura Healey
as Attorney General
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