Charles V. Ryan (September 15, 1927 – October 18, 2021) was an American politician who served as Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, from 1962 to 1968, and again from 2004 to 2008.[2]
Charles Ryan | |
|---|---|
 Ryan in 2003 | |
| Mayor of Springfield | |
| In office 1962–1968 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas J. O'Connor |
| Succeeded by | Frank Harlan Freedman |
| In office 2004–2008 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Albano |
| Succeeded by | Domenic Sarno |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 15, 1927[1] Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | October 18, 2021 (aged 94) |
| Political party | Independent |
Ryan served as the city's mayor during the 1960s for three terms and for two additional terms beginning in 2004, making him the only Springfield mayor to serve in two different centuries.[3] His terms in the 1960s occurred during a time of civil unrest and controversial urban renewal projects. Ryan was unsuccessful in preventing the closure of the Springfield Armory, a major economic blow to Springfield that he blamed on then Congressman Edward P. Boland. Ryan ran against Boland for Congress in 1968, but was defeated in a landslide. After leaving office he became a prominent attorney and continued to be active in public affairs, serving as a member of the downtown economic development group Springfield Central and leading efforts to successfully defeat attempts to institute casino gambling. He also led successful efforts to place the privately owned Springfield libraries under public control.
He attempted to return to the mayoralty in 1995 but lost to city councilor Michael J. Albano. Ryan was elected mayor in 2003 following the decision of Albano not to seek reelection. He defeated the Albano endorsed State Senator Linda Melconian in a campaign that focused on the numerous corruption scandals of the Albano years.[4] In November 2005, Ryan won reelection defeating the city's School Committee Vice-President, Thomas Ashe. On April 12, 2007, Ryan announced that he would run for re-election in the city's 2007 mayoral election and stated that this would be his final run.[5] He lost this election to City Councilor Domenic Sarno.[3]
Ryan died following a short illness on October 18, 2021, at the age of 94.[6]
Electoral history
edit| 1961 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Primary election[7] | General election[8] | ||
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Charles Ryan | 6,764 | 31.77 | 28,999 | 52.28 |
| Thomas J. O'Connor (incumbent) | 14,563 | 34.54 | 26,471 | 47.72 |
| Raymond N. Tuller Jr. | 7,874 | 18.67 | ||
| John P. Lynch | 5,554 | 13.17 | ||
| Armand N. Tancrati | 3,214 | 7.62 | ||
| Arthur J. McKenna | 1,282 | 3.04 | ||
| Norman E. Cowles | 177 | 0.42 | ||
| Bernard M. Lapointe | 112 | 0.27 | ||
| Arbold R. Craven | 97 | 0.23 | ||
| Total | 42,168 | 100 | 55,470 | 100 |
| 1963 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Primary election[9] | General election[10] | ||
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Charles Ryan (incumbent) | 11,906 | 57 | 32,063 | 72.92 |
| John P. Lynch | 7,284 | 11,909 | 27.08 | |
| Arthur R. Caney | ||||
| Total | 100 | 43,972 | 100 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Edward P. Boland (incumbent) | 42,100 | 62.71 | |
| Democratic | Charles V. Ryan | 25,038 | 37.29 | |
| Total votes | 67,138 | 100 | ||
| 1995 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Primary election[12] | General election[13] | ||
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Michael J. Albano | 6,764 | 31.77 | 18,929 | 52.29 |
| Charles V. Ryan | 7,930 | 37.25 | 17,274 | 47.71 |
| Robert Markel (incumbent) | 4,160 | 19.54 | ||
| Frederick Hurst | 1,740 | 8.17 | ||
| Chelan Jenkins | 694 | 3.26 | ||
| Total | 21,288 | 100 | 36,203 | 100 |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles V. Ryan | 14,979 | 52.81 | |
| Linda J. Melconian | 13,258 | 46.75 | |
| Write-ins | 125 | 0.44 | |
| Voter turnout | 33.15% | ||
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles V. Ryan (incumbent) | 14,164 | 63.48 | |
| Thomas Ashe | 8,038 | 36.02 | |
| Write-ins | 112 | 0.50 | |
| Voter turnout | 27.85% | ||
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domenic J. Sarno | 11,096 | 52.54 | |
| Charles V. Ryan (incumbent) | 9,964 | 47.18 | |
| Write-ins | 61 | 0.29 | |
| Voter turnout | 26.81% | ||
References
edit- ^ Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory (2002), pg. 560
- ^ "Former Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan to endorse Sen. Scott Brown in reelection bid". 6 September 2012.
- ^ a b "Western challenger wins mayor's seat". Retrieved 11 January 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Mayor-elect will support prescription drug plan". Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ Ryan, 79, to pursue re-election- MassLive.com
- ^ Former Springfield Mayor Charles V. Ryan dies at 94
- ^ "Ryan Runs 2d to Challenge O'Connor in Race for Mayor". Newspapers.com. Boston Globe. 11 Oct 1961. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ "MAYORAL UPSETS IN MASSACHUSETTS". The New York Times. Associated Press. 8 November 1961. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ "Ryan Leads, To Face Lynch". Newspapers.com. Boston Globe. 9 Oct 1963. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ "Springfield Mayor Wins After Bitter Campaign". Newspapers.com. Hartford Courant. 7 Nov 1963. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MA District 2 - D Primary Race - Sep 17, 1968". www.ourcampaigns.com. Our Campaigns. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - Springfield, MA Mayor - Primary Race - Sep 19, 1995". www.ourcampaigns.com. Our Campaigns. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - Springfield, MA Mayor Race - Nov 07, 1995". www.ourcampaigns.com. Our Campaigns. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
- ^ "2003_City_Election_11-04_SUM.pdf" (PDF). Springfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
- ^ "SUMMARY REPORT CITY ELECTION SPRINGFIELD MA TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2005" (PDF). Springfield, Massachusetts. 14 November 2005. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ "Local Election November 6th, 2007". Springfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ "City of Springfield, Mass.: 2007 Elections". www.springfield-ma.gov. Springfield, Massachusetts. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008.
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