Representative Thomas Joseph Meskill

Thomas Joseph Meskill Jr. (January 30, 1928 – October 29, 2007) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and a prominent Connecticut public official who served in all three branches of government at the local, state, and federal levels. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 82nd governor of Connecticut, as a United States Representative from Connecticut, and as the mayor of New Britain, Connecticut. He is noted for having held significant offices in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches over the course of a long career in public service.

Meskill was born on January 30, 1928, in New Britain, Connecticut. He grew up in that industrial city, which would remain the center of his political base throughout his career. His early life in New Britain, a community with a strong manufacturing and immigrant presence, helped shape his understanding of local government and constituent concerns, and later informed his approach to municipal and state administration.

After completing his early education in New Britain, Meskill pursued higher education and legal training, preparing for a career in law and public service. He studied law and was admitted to the bar, establishing himself as an attorney in his hometown. His legal background provided the foundation for his later roles as assistant corporation counsel and corporation counsel for New Britain, and ultimately for his service as a federal appellate judge.

Meskill’s formal political career began in the late 1950s. In 1958, he made an unsuccessful bid for the Connecticut Senate. The following year, in 1959, he ran for the office of mayor of New Britain but was defeated by a narrow margin of 116 votes. Undeterred, he continued his involvement in local government, serving for two years as New Britain’s assistant corporation counsel starting in 1960. He then won election as mayor of New Britain and served a term from 1962 to 1964. In 1964 he was defeated for re-election as mayor and also failed in an attempt to win a campaign for Congress that same year. He returned to municipal legal work as New Britain’s corporation counsel from 1965 to 1966. In 1965, he was also a member of a state constitutional convention held in Hartford to draft a new Connecticut Constitution in accordance with a United States Supreme Court ruling on legislative apportionment, giving him an early role in significant structural reform of state government.

In 1966, amid a broader Democratic sweep of the state, Meskill was elected on the Republican Party ticket to serve as Representative for Connecticut’s 6th congressional district. He served in the 90th and 91st Congresses, from January 3, 1967, to January 3, 1971. During these two terms in the United States House of Representatives, Thomas Joseph Meskill contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history marked by the Vietnam War, civil rights struggles, and social and economic change. As a member of the House of Representatives, he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his Connecticut constituents, aligning with Republican positions of the era while addressing local concerns from his district.

In 1970, Meskill sought statewide office and ran for governor of Connecticut. He was elected as the 82nd governor, defeating Democratic Congressman Emilio Q. Daddario by a margin of 53.76 percent to 46.23 percent. Meskill became the first Republican elected to the governorship since John Davis Lodge in 1950 and was the only Republican Party nominee to win an election for governor in Connecticut between 1950 and 1994. He served as governor from January 6, 1971, to January 8, 1975. During his term, Connecticut’s fiscal position shifted from a budget deficit of approximately $260 million to a surplus of about $65 million, reflecting his administration’s emphasis on budgetary control and fiscal restructuring. His tenure also saw the founding of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and the establishment of the Connecticut Lottery, initiatives that expanded the state’s regulatory and revenue-generating capacities and reflected emerging environmental and public-finance priorities of the early 1970s.

Meskill’s governorship unfolded against the backdrop of national political turmoil, including the Watergate scandal. In 1974, following severe criticism for not returning from a Vermont skiing trip during a major ice storm in Connecticut, and with the political climate for Republicans deteriorating nationwide, he decided not to run for re-election. His decision ended his tenure in elective office but set the stage for his subsequent judicial career at the federal level.

After leaving the governorship, Meskill entered the federal judiciary. He was appointed a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, where he continued his public service in the judicial branch. In that capacity, he participated in the adjudication of federal appeals from Connecticut, New York, and Vermont, drawing on his extensive experience in legislative and executive roles as well as his earlier legal practice. His service on the Second Circuit further underscored his distinctive record of having served in all three branches of government.

Thomas Joseph Meskill Jr. died on October 29, 2007. By the time of his death, he had compiled a notable record of public service spanning local, state, and federal offices, including roles as mayor of New Britain, United States Representative from Connecticut, governor of Connecticut, and judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. His career remains an example of broad-based engagement in American government across multiple levels and branches.