Frederick C. Langone

Early life

Langone was born in the North End of Boston to a prominent Massachusetts political family. His grandfather, Joseph A. Langone, was a state legislator; his father, Joseph A. Langone Jr., was a state senator; his brother, Joseph A. Langone III, was a state representative; and his mother, Clementina Langone (née Poto), was a civic leader who served as vice chairman of the Democratic State Committee. The Langone family operated the funeral home that buried Sacco and Vanzetti in 1927.

Frederick Langone attended Boston College High School, Boston University, and the Boston University School of Law. After World War II, he served in United States Army Counterintelligence as an officer and was stationed in Japan. In 1944, he was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in Anti-Aircraft Coast Artillery as a lieutenant.

Boston city council

Langone ran unsuccessfully for the Boston City Council four times before he joined the council in 1961 to complete the term of the ailing Joseph White. He was elected in his own right in 1963 and remained in office until he was defeated for reelection in 1971. He returned to the council in 1973 after he replaced Joe Moakley, who was elected to the United States House of Representatives.

During his tenure on the council, he supported the Haymarket Pushcart Association, and helped save the open-air market in Haymarket Square when politicians wanted to shut it down. Early in his career, he had been a member of the committee that had tried and failed to stop the demolition of much of the West End; this experience informed his views a decade later, when as a city councilor he fought to preserve the North End waterfront. He succeeded in getting the city to build affordable senior citizen housing, introduced rent control, and blocked upscale development that would have displaced many longtime North End residents.

Langone initiated hearings to investigate Mayor Kevin H. White's private use of the city-owned Parkman House.

Langone, who spent eleven years as the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, was recognized for his knowledge of city finances.

At a time when racism was commonplace in Boston politics, Langone was supportive of black leadership. As fellow councilman Bruce Bolling put it, "He'll help anybody, black or white."

Style

Langone was also known for making long-winded speeches. His tirades against the Kevin White administration led to the passage of "Freddy's Rule", which limited Council speeches to 10 minutes.

Other races

In 1976 he was a candidate for the United States Senate, but lost the Democratic nomination to incumbent Ted Kennedy.

In 1982 he was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. At the Democratic Convention, he failed to receive the 15% of delegates necessary to make the ballot. He sued the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to get his name on the ballot, but the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld the 15% rule.

In 1983, he ran for Mayor of Boston, finishing in sixth place in the preliminary election with 1.36% of the vote. In 1985, he finished in fifth place in the general election for four at-large City Council seats. He was again a candidate for mayor in 1987, but dropped out of the race to run for City Council; he finished in sixth place in the general election for four at-large seats.

Later life and death

After leaving the council, Langone maintained a law practice and wrote for the North End Post-Gazette. Langone died on June 25, 2001, at his home in the North End. He was 79 years old.

References

References

1. "Access to Archival Databases (AAD)".
2. Long, Tom. (June 26, 2001). "Frederick C. Langone, at 79; Colorful Boston Councilor". The Boston Globe.
3. (21 September 1983). "Langone: 20 years' work for city he loves". The Boston Globe.
4. (21 April 1964). "Mrs. Langone, Civic Leader, Dies at 67". The Boston Globe.
5. (2009). "Barney Frank: The Story of America's Only Left-handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman". University of Massachusetts Press.
6. Long, Tom. [https://www.newspapers.com/image/442196044/ "Frederick C. Langone, at 79; colorful Boston councilor"] (obituary), ''[[The Boston Globe]]'', Boston, Massachusetts, volume 259, number 177, June 26, 2001, page B7 {{subscription required
7. Casey, Gene R. [https://www.newspapers.com/image/434052972/ "Veterans"], ''[[The Boston Daily Globe]]'', Boston, Massachusetts, volume CXLVIII, number 62, August 31, 1945, page 6 (continued from page 1 article "North End Boys Gave all to Nation"). {{subscription required. Note, Langone was listed as a first lieutenant in the article.
8. [https://www.newspapers.com/image/434011218/ "Bride of Soldier"], ''The Boston Daily Globe'' (''Boston Evening Globe''), Boston, Massachusetts, volume CXLVI, number 154, December 1, 1944, page 19. {{subscription required
9. (19 October 2015). "Haymarket". Arcadia Publishing.
10. (1994). "The North End: Where It All Began". Post-Gazette, American Independence Edition.
11. (2000). "The Review of Italian American Studies". Lexington Books.
12. "North End History: The Italians".
13. (2009). "The North End: A Brief History of Boston's Oldest Neighborhood". The History Press.
14. "Hub May Reap $3M Benefit by Paying off Tregor Bonds".
15. (June 26, 2001). "Tireless city pol fought for little guys". Boston Herald.
16. "FREDERICK C. LANGONE & OTHERS V. SECRETARY OF THE COMMONWEALTH & OTHERS". VersusLaw, Inc..
17. (1984). "Annual Report of the Election Department". Boston [Election Dept.].
18. (July 23, 1987). "Langone Trades Mayoral Race for Council Bid". The Boston Globe.