Raymond Shamie (June 7, 1921 – October 16, 1999)[1] was an American politician and businessman from Massachusetts. Shamie served as the chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party and was twice the Republican nominee for the United States Senate.

Ray Shamie
Chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party
In office
1987–1990
Preceded byAndrew Natsios
Succeeded byLeon Lombardi
Personal details
Born
Raymond Shamie

June 7, 1921
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedOctober 16, 1999 (aged 78)
Florida, U.S.
Political partyRepublican

Early life and education

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Shamie was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father died in a traffic accident while Shamie was in high school, and in 1937, during the Great Depression, Shamie got a job as a busboy a Horn & Hardart automat.[2]

Career

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Shamie was twice a Massachusetts Republican nominee for the United States Senate, and served as the chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party from 1987 to 1991.

Ray Shamie was the inventor of the "Metal Bellows", a flexible shaft coupling that is used in aerospace and many other fields, for which he held the patent.[3]

In 1982, Shamie, a millionaire businessman and metalwork entrepreneur (primarily from the invention of Metal Bellows), challenged longtime incumbent Senator Ted Kennedy. In a Democratic-leaning election cycle, Shamie lost in a landslide, receiving 38 percent of the vote against Kennedy's 61 percent. In 1984, he announced that he would challenge Senator Paul Tsongas for re-election; however, Tsongas, who had been diagnosed with lymphoma, did not run for re-election. Shamie won the Republican primary for the seat, beating former U.S. Attorney General Elliot Richardson. In the general election, he faced off against Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor John Kerry. Shamie lost the Senate race to Kerry, 55–45.[4]

After his second bid for the Senate, he became the chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party. He served in that capacity until 1991. He is credited with helping Republican William Weld win the governorship in 1990.

Death

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Shamie died in Florida on October 16, 1999, at the age of 78.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Raymond Shamie". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  2. ^ Jacoby, Jeff (24 May 1999). "Ray Shamie's last campaign". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  3. ^ "Method of making plated construction shaft coupling".
  4. ^ The Beacon Hill Institute, Biography of Ray Shamie, Vol. 3, #4, Summer 1999
  5. ^ Jacoby, Jeff. "Remembering Ray Shamie". Jeff Jacoby. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
Party political offices
Preceded by
Michael Robertson
Republican nominee for
U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (Class 1)

1982
Succeeded by
Preceded by Republican nominee for
U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (Class 2)

1984
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party
1987–1990
Succeeded by