USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > Providence > Governors for three hundred years, 1638-1959; Rhode Island and Providence Plantations > Part 27
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Honorary degrees have been bestowed on Mr. McGrath by several universities; doc- tor of laws from Providence College, Manhattan College, Rhode Island State College (now University of Rhode Island), National University, Holy Cross College, St. Mary's College, Duquesne University, La Salle College; M. Sc. in Business Administration. Bryant College; D. Sc .. Rhode Island College of Pharmacy and Applied Sciences; Ed. D., Rhode Island College of Education.
He married November 28, 1929 Estelle A. Cadorette.
GOVERNORS OF RHODE ISLAND
329
JOHN O. PASTORE
Governor: October 6, 1945 to December 10, 1950.
Born: March 17, 1907 in Providence, Rhode Island.
JOHN O. PASTORE, son of Michele and Erminia (Asprinio) Pastore, was born in Prov- idence, Rhode Island, on March 17, 1907. He attended the Providence public schools and was graduated from Providence Classical High School in 1925. The degree of Bachelor of Laws was conferred upon him by Northeastern University in 1931. He was admitted to the Rhode Island Bar in May 1932.
On July 12, 1941, Mr. Pastore married Elena Elizabeth Caito. They have three children, John O. Jr., Frances Elizabeth and Louise Marie.
Mr. Pastore received honorary degrees from Providence College, LL.D .; Rhode Is- land State College (University of Rhode Island) , LL.D; Brown University, LL.D; Rhode Island College of Education. Ed.D .: Rhode Island College of Pharmacy, Sc.D; Bryant College, Sc.D.
A Democrat in politics, Mr. Pastore served in the House of Representatives of the Rhode Island General Assembly from 1934 through 1938. He served as Assistant Attorney General of the State of Rhode Island in the years 1937-1938 and again in 1940-1941.
In 1944, Mr. Pastore was elected Lieutenant-Governor. He was sworn in as Gover- nor of Rhode Island on October 6, 1945, when the then Governor, J. Howard McGrath. became Solicitor General of the United States.
Governor Pastore was re-elected in 1946 and again in 1948.
On November 7, 1950, he was elected United States Senator to fill an unexpired term. On November 4, 1952, Senator Pastore was re-elected for the six-year term beginning January 3, 1953. And again in November, 1958, he was relected with the greatest plurality ever accorded a candidate in this state.
Senator Pastore's committee assignments in the United States Senate include the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, the Senate Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, the Senate Appropriation Committee and the Special Sub-committee on Disarmament of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In 1955 Senator Pastore served as a member of the United States Delegation to the Tenth General Assembly of the United Nations. He served at the United Nations as Congressional Advisor to the United States Delegation with reference to establishing the new International Atomic Energy Agency.
In addition to being Senator-designee to the first Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy at Geneva in 1955, Senator Pastore was also Senator-designee in 1957 at the initiation of the International Atomic Energy Agency at Vienna.
THREE HUNDRED YEARS OF
330
HON. JOHN O. PASTORE
1945-1950
GOVERNORS OF RHODE ISLAND
331
JOHN SAMMON McKIERNAN
Governor: December 19, 1950 to January 2, 1951. War Service: United States Army, World War II. Born: October 15, 1911 in Providence, Rhode Island.
JOHN SAMMON McKIERNAN, son of John Francis and Loretta (Mulvey) McKier- nan, was born in Providence, Rhode Island, October 15th, 1911. He is a graduate of Classical High School, Providence; Notre Dame University, A.B. Cum Laude, 1934; and Boston University Law School, LL.B., 1937. He is a former President of the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts; member of the Board of Governors. Notre Dame University, representing Rhode Island; and is a vet- eran of World War II, in which he served with the United States Army overseas.
Mr. McKiernan was admitted to the Rhode Island Bar in 1937; was legal adviser for the Civil Service Commission, City of Providence, 1941; roving clerk of General As- sembly, 1941-1942; Chairman, Fair Rents Committee, City of Providence, 1941; First As- sistant City Solicitor, City of Providence, 1942-1943. 1946-1947. He was elected Lieu- tenant-Governor of Rhode Island in 1946, and was re-elected in 1948, 1950, and 1952. Upon the resignation of Governor John O. Pastore to take office as United States Sena- tor, Mr. McKiernan, on December 19th, 1950, assumed the office of Governor, which he held until January 2nd, 1951, when Dennis J. Roberts, the Governor-elect, was sworn into office, at which time Governor McKiernan again became Lieutenant-Governor. He was appointed an Associated Justice of the Superior Court on May 7, 1956.
THREE HUNDRED YEARS OF
332
HON. JOHN S. McKIERNAN 1950-1951
GOVERNORS OF RHODE ISLAND
333
DENNIS JOSEPH ROBERTS
Governor: 1951-1958. War Service: U. S. Naval Reserve, World War II. Born: April 8th, 1903 in Providence, R. I.
DENNIS JOSEPH ROBERTS, son of Dennis Joseph and Mary Agnes (Hagan) Rob- erts, was born in Providence, Rhode Island, April 8th, 1903. He was graduated from La Salle Academy, 1923; Fordham University, B.S., 1927; Boston University Law School, LL.B., 1930; and has received the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Providence College, 1949; Fordham University, 1951; University of Rhode Island, 1951; also the de- gree of Doctor of Education from Rhode Island College of Education, 1951. He served as State Senator from Providence, from 1934 to 1938; Democratic State Chairman, 1938 to 1943; and as Mayor of Providence, from 1941 to 1951. He was elected Governor of Rhode Island in 1950, and re-elected in 1952, 1954, 1956.
Governor Roberts has practiced law since 1930. In 1943, while Mayor of Providence, he obtained leave of absence to enlist in the United States Naval Reserve, for service in the second World War, in which he attained the grade of Lieutenant Commander in the Office of Strategic Services (1943-1944) .
Among the important changes in the State Constitution adopted during the admin- - istration of Governor Roberts are: Repeal of the Poll Tax, Permanent Registration, Vet- erans' Exemption, and most important of all, Home Rule for cities and towns.
Major legislation sponsored and signed into law by Governor Roberts includes: Re- organization of the Department of Social Welfare to provide better administration of that large agency; creation of the Rhode Island Development Council, an agency of the Execu- tive branch, to promote the economic development of Rhode Island; and the combining of all fiscal operations of State Government in the Department of Administration.
THREE HUNDRED YEARS OF
334
HON. DENNIS J. ROBERTS
1951-1958
GOVERNORS OF RHODE ISLAND
335
CHRISTOPHER DEL SESTO
Governor: 1958-1960.
Born: March 10, 1907 in Providence, Rhode Island.
DEL SESTO, CHRISTOPHER, son of Eraclio Del Sesto and Rose (Geremia) Del Sesto, was born on March 10, 1907 in Providence, Rhode Island. His father, who died in 1935. and his mother, who died in 1937, were both born in Pietravairano, Province of Casesta, Italy. They came to this country in the middle 1890's, and were both natu- ralized citizens.
On October 12. 1933, Mr. Del Sesto married Lola Elda Faraone of Providence, Rhode Island. They have three children: Christopher T. Del Sesto. born October 9, 1935, now a student at Harvard Law School. Ronald W. Del Sesto, born October 25, 1940, now a Freshman at Georgetown University. Gregory T. Del Sesto, born October 17, 1949, now in the fourth grade at Moses Brown School. Providence, Rhode Island.
Mr. Del Sesto graduated from English High School. January. 1924, with the highest honors. and was valedictorian of the class. In 1928, he graduated cum laude from Boston University with the degree of Bachelor of Business Administration. He graduated cum laude from Georgetown University, Law School in 1939 with the degree of Bachelor of Law. Since that time, he has continued advanced studies in taxation and law at New York University. University of Miami. and Practicing Law Institute, New York.
After passing State examination. Mr. Del Sesto was admitted to practice as Certified Public Accountant. As Attorney-at-Law, he was admitted first in the District of Colum- bia. after taking examinations, and also admitted to practice in the State of Rhode Island, after taking examinations in that State.
In addition to being a member of the Bars of the District of Columbia and State of Rhode Island, he has been admitted to practice before U. S. Treasury Department, Fed- eral Courts, Tax Court, and United States Supreme Court. In his professional work, he has specialized in taxation and finance. For the most part, he has been retained by other attorneys in handling complicated legal matters involving taxation, finance and account- ing. He has lectured before the Rhode Island Bar Association on matters of taxation for several years.
Mr. Del Sesto has had teaching experience as instructor at Taunton, Massachusetts High School, and also instructor at Boston University and Northeastern University. He has been on an advisory committee of the University of Rhode Island in connection with lectures on taxation given annually by that institution.
He has held the State Government positions as Chief Accountant in the State Treas- urer's Office, Budget Director of the State of Rhode Island, Finance Director of the State of Rhode Island, and as Finance Director, he had charge of the Controller's Office, Pur- chasing Department, Division of Taxation, Budget Office, and the Bureau of Audits, which supervised all the accounts and records of all State agencies and the 39 cities and towns of Rhode Island.
While in Government service, he served on the State Unemployment Relief Com- mission, which had charge of the administration of relief programs during the depression.
THREE HUNDRED YEARS OF
336
HON. CHRISTOPHER DEL SESTO
1959-
GOVERNORS OF RHODE ISLAND
337
He was also a member of the State Emergency Public Works Commission, which con- structed many projects during the depression, such as buildings at the State Institutions at Howard, State Sanatorium at Wallum Lake, buildings at Rhode Island State College, State Airport, State Pier at Galilee, Rhode Island, and many other projects. He also served ex officio as a member of the Board of Trustees of Rhode Island State College. He was a member of the State Retirement Board for State Employees when it was first created, and assisted in setting up the Retirement System now in effect in the State of Rhode Is- land for State employees. Mr. Del Sesto worked actively in the reorganization of the State Government in 1935.
In Federal Government, Mr. Del Sesto was a member of staff of Chief Accountant, Securities & Exchange Commission, and Special Assistant to the Attorney General of the U. S. in the Anti-Trust Division of the Department of Justice, Washington, D. C.
While a member of the Department of Justice, he was assigned to many cases in- volving monopolies of the milk industry. One of his most important assignments was a case in Chicago, which resulted in the breaking up of the milk monopoly in the Chicago area. Also, while with the Department of Justice, he worked with representatives of Mayor LaGuardia's office in investigating milk monopoly in the New York City area. While with the Department of Justice, he also appeared before a Joint Congressional Committee on behalf of the Department of Justice, outlining certain monopolistic prac- tices in the petroleum industry.
During the war, Mr. Del Sesto was appointed State Director of the Office of Price Administration for Rhode Island, in charge of rationing, price, and rent control. The pattern of organization set up by him in Rhode Island was gradually adopted through the country. His work in Rhode Island achieved nation-wide prominence. The Saturday Evening Post, a national magazine having over 3,000,000 circulation, carried an article ex- plaining in detail the Rhode Island pattern of organization. Liberty Magazine, also a national magazine having millions of circulation, carried an article explaining in detail the enforcement activities of the Rhode Island Office in stamping out the black market during the war.
While OPA Director, he delivered an address before the Teachers' Institute which has been regarded as a masterpiece. Reprints of the speech appeared in many newspa- pers, and the National OPA Office had over a half million copies printed and distributed throughout the country. In the summer of 1944, he was awarded a citation by the Provi- dence Journal as being one of the twelve persons in Rhode Island who had contributed most on the civilian front during the war.
Mr. Del Sesto was candidate on Republican ticket for Mayor of Providence in 1952. He was defeated, but received highest vote ever received by a Republican candidate for Mayor, except Collins in 1938. He was a candidate for Governor of Rhode Island in 1956 and was elected, but did not serve because of Supreme Court decision invalidating 4,954 votes. He was again candidate for Governor of Rhode Island in 1958, and was elected.
Mr. Del Sesto is a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association, American Bar As- sociation, R. I. Society of Certified Public Accountants, Turks Head Club, Italo-Amer- ican Club of Rhode Island, Aurora Club, Dunes Club, University Club, St. Liberato Catholic Society, and National Association of Cost Accountants.
THREE HUNDRED YEARS OF
338
Historical Cemeteries Within the State of Rhode Island
Tabulation as of Dec. 31, 1958
Cemeteries
Location
located by new survey
Cemeteries previously located & recorded
Total No. of graves in Cemetery 2605
No. of Veterans buried in graves in Cemetery
Barrington
7
7
201
Bristol
8
4
Too numerous to record
778
Burrillville
112
9
2026
206
Central Falls
1
1
Too numerous to record
603
Charlestown
46
9
628
62
Coventry
109
41
2533
910
Cranston
45
28
605
3672
Cumberland
29
19
2999
538
East Greenwich
71
33
1604
259
East Providence
5
5
Too numerous to record
595
Exeter
75
7
481
28
Foster
133
41
7764
175
Glocester
77
22
1615
227
Hopkinton
26
9
443
169
Jamestown
9
4
62
52
Johnston
69
28
2032
139
Lincoln
31
13
505
89
Little Compton
32
13
754
146
Middletown
24
5
225
86
Narragansett
12
1
156
Unable to determine
Newport
19
15
228
311
New Shoreham
9
68
71
No. Kingstown
70
37
1908
300
No. Providence
8
7
45
38
No. Smithfield
29
18
441
29
Pawtucket
8
8
Too numerous to record
3493
Portsmouth
36
6
400
75
Providence
13
10
122
3687
Richmond
48
15
1211
116
Scituate
109
75
5815
334
Smithfield
62
26
1303
98
So. Kingstown
94
25
1734
340
Tiverton
81
19
1483
120
Warren
11
9
3532
282
Warwick
90
71
2023
571
Westerly
21
10
Too numerous to record
569
West Greenwich
38
8
1455
29
West Warwick
26
13
645
423
Woonsocket
11
16
Too numerous to record
574
(some in Mass.)
Totals
1,704
688
49,450
20,657
GOVERNORS OF RHODE ISLAND
339
Thanks For Graves Committee
ONE DAY, several years ago, the grave of Samuel Ward King, last Governor of Rhode Island under the Royal Charter, was dis- covered in a brush-covered, trash-littered Johnston cemetery.
Most people would have wagged their heads in dismay at the dis- respect shown such an important historical personage, fired off a pro- test to some official, and let it go at that. A man named Ralph S. Mohr did more than that.
He got himself named to the R. I. Graves Registration Commit- tee appointed in 1950 by the then Gov. John O Pastore, and became its chairman.
The 20-member committee went to work, searching out historical cemeteries in the state and the final resting places of men and women who, because of their contributions to the state and country, deserve something better than languishing anonymously in a potter's field.
This week, eight years later, the Graves Registration Committee completed its primary task and handed in a commendable piece of work.
Thanks to Mr. Mohr's committee. the state's 39 cities and towns now have a record of the burial place of all their veterans of all Amer- ican wars, beginning with the Revolution.
Six master volumes list 19,937 veterans in 1,695 cemeteries throughout the state - 1,000 more cemeteries than had been listed previously.
The committee also found and marked the graves of all but two of the deceased former Governors of Rhode Island. Cemeteries of any historical significance in the state have been appropriately marked.
It was a monumental task that the committee performed, and one that needed to be done. However, the work of the Graves Registration Committee should not have been in vain. Every effort should be made by the appropriate agencies to see that the graves so laboriously tracked down are kept up and not allowed to fall into disgrace.
Pawtucket Times, Sept. 7, 1958
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