Francis W. Sargent

Who was Francis W. Sargent?

Francis William Sargent was the 64th Governor of Massachusetts from 1969 to 1975. Born in 1915 in Hamilton, Massachusetts, he was known for his sharp wit and self-deprecating manner. A Republican, "Sarge" graduated from Charles River School, Noble & Greenough School and was a student in the architecture program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he was a classmate and friend of I.M. Pei, although Sargent never graduated. He had served in World War II and fought in Italy. He would earn a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. He was an avid fisherman on Cape Cod and became interested in the environment because he was frustrated by overfishing and the use of illegal nets.

He was a dedicated conservationist who delivered the keynote address at MIT on the first Earth Day in 1970. He had earlier served as state commissioner of natural resources for ten years, and went on to win appointment as state Commissioner of Public Works in 1964.

He ran for Lieutenant Governor with the slogan "Put Sarge in Charge" and was elected in 1966, and in 1969, he became governor when Governor John Volpe became secretary of Transportation under President Richard Nixon. In 1970, Sargent won election in his own right, defeating Boston Mayor Kevin White.