Representative Nicholas James Mavroules

Nicholas James Mavroules (November 1, 1929 – December 25, 2003) was an American Democratic Party politician from Massachusetts who served seven terms as a United States Representative from 1979 to 1993. A lifelong resident of Peabody, Massachusetts, he rose from local government to national office, representing Peabody and much of the surrounding North Shore region in Congress. His career encompassed significant influence on defense policy and local economic issues, as well as a later criminal conviction for racketeering and extortion.

Mavroules was born in Peabody, Massachusetts, on November 1, 1929. He attended local schools and graduated from Peabody High School. After completing his schooling, he entered the private sector and was employed by Sylvania Electric Products from 1949 to 1967, where he served as a supervisor of personnel. His early professional experience in industry and personnel management preceded his entry into public life and helped establish his ties to the working- and middle-class communities of the North Shore.

Mavroules began his political career in municipal government. He was elected to the Peabody City Council and served from 1958 to 1965, gaining experience in local governance and constituent service. In 1966, he was elected mayor of Peabody, a position he would hold for a decade until his election to Congress in 1978. As mayor, he became a prominent figure in the region and built the political base that later supported his congressional campaigns. He also participated in national party affairs, serving as a delegate to the 1976 Democratic National Convention, reflecting his growing stature within the Democratic Party in Massachusetts.

In 1978, Mavroules ran for the U.S. House of Representatives to succeed retiring Representative Michael J. Harrington. He won the election and entered Congress in January 1979, beginning a period of service that would last until January 1993. Shortly after his election, an FBI informant testified that he had offered Mavroules a $25,000 bribe in connection with liquor licensing during Mavroules’s tenure as mayor of Peabody. Mavroules denied the accusations, and the FBI did not bring charges in that matter. During his seven terms in office, he participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his Massachusetts constituents in the House of Representatives.

In Congress, Mavroules became particularly associated with defense and national security issues. He was a longtime member of the House Armed Services Committee and eventually chaired its Subcommittee on Investigations. In that role, he led the House investigation into the deadly explosion in a gun turret aboard the battleship USS Iowa in 1989, pressing the Navy on the adequacy and integrity of its inquiry. He also helped expose cost overruns in Navy aircraft programs and was involved in oversight of major defense procurement decisions, including concerns raised about a Korean fighter aircraft deal. Earlier in his career, he was instrumental in efforts to ensure that the crew of the USS Pueblo, captured by North Korea in 1968, obtained formal prisoner-of-war status. During the 1980s, Mavroules was a leading supporter in the House of a nuclear freeze and an opponent of the MX missile, aligning himself with arms control advocates within the Democratic Party.

Mavroules’s congressional career came under severe strain in the early 1990s. In August 1992, a federal grand jury indicted him on 17 charges of bribery, racketeering, and extortion. The allegations included extorting money and favors, accepting illegal gifts, and failing to report those gifts on congressional financial disclosure forms and federal income tax returns. Despite the indictment, he sought reelection and survived a Democratic primary election the following month. However, the cloud of the federal charges contributed to his defeat in the November 1992 general election by Republican Peter G. Torkildsen, ending his fourteen-year tenure in the House.

In April 1993, after leaving Congress, Mavroules pleaded guilty to 15 of the 17 counts in the federal indictment, including racketeering and extortion. He was sentenced to a fifteen-month prison term and later served 15 months at the federal penitentiary in Bedford, Pennsylvania. At his sentencing, he publicly apologized to his family, acknowledging that they had “endured enormous, enormous pain,” and expressed regret to his supporters and friends “for any hurt I have brought upon them.” His conviction placed him among the American federal politicians who have been criminally convicted while or after serving in office.

Nicholas James Mavroules died on December 25, 2003, in Salem, Massachusetts, following gastric surgery. He was buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery in his hometown of Peabody. His wake and funeral drew more than 6,000 mourners and were held at St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church in Peabody, reflecting his deep roots in the local Greek American community and his long public career. Several current and former members of Congress attended the services. The eulogy at the funeral mass was delivered by Rudy de Leon, a former staff member who later held senior positions in the Department of Defense, and a graveside eulogy was offered by local reporter and talk show host Dan Rea.