Governor Paul Andrew Dever

PAUL A. DEVER, the sixtieth governor of Massachusetts, was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 15, 1903. His education was attained at the Oliver Wendell Holmes School in Dorchester, the Boston Latin School, and at Boston University, where he earned his law degree in 1926. After establishing his legal career in Boston, Dever entered into politics. He served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1928 to 1934, served as the attorney general of Massachusetts from 1935 to 1941, and was an unsuccessful candidate for governor in 1940. Dever enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served overseas during World War II. After his military service, he returned to his political career, but lost his bid for lieutenant governor in 1946. Two years later, he ran and was elected to the Massachusetts governorship. He was reelected to a second term in 1950. During his tenure, workers compensation insurance was improved; funding for schools and charitable institutions was increased; and communism was opposed. After running unsuccessfully for reelection, Dever left office on January 8, 1953, and retired from political life. Governor Paul A. Dever passed away on April 11, 1958, and was buried at the St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts.