Donald R. Dwight
| Donald R. Dwight | |
|---|---|
| 64th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts | |
|
In office January 4, 1971 – January 2, 1975 |
|
| Governor | Francis W. Sargent |
| Preceded by | Francis W. Sargent |
| Succeeded by | Thomas P. O'Neill III |
| Commissioner of Administration and Finance | |
|
In office 1969–1970 |
|
| Governor | Francis W. Sargent |
| Preceded by | Anthony P. DeFalco |
| Succeeded by | Charles R. Shepard |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 26, 1931 Holyoke, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Russell (1952–present) |
| Children | Laura Dorie Ellie Artie Stuart |
| Profession | Newspaper executive Corporate communications executive |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Donald Rathbun Dwight (born March 26, 1931) is an American newspaper executive and politician who served as the 64th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 1971 to 1975.
Donald Rathbun Dwight was born on March 26, 1931 in Holyoke, Massachusetts. His family owned the Holyoke Transcript-Telegram. Dwight graduated from Deerfield Academy in 1949 and went on to attend Princeton University. On August 9, 1952 he married Susan Russell, also of Holyoke, at the Second Congregational Church in Holyoke. Dwight graduated from Princeton in 1953. After college, he served two years in the United States Marine Corps. He then worked for his family's newspaper, where he became assistant to the publisher in 1957. He also served as a South Hadley town meeting member, director of the J. Russell and Co. and the New England Daily Newspaper Association, trustee of the Mechanics Savings Bank, chairman of Massachusetts Newspaper Information Service, treasurer of the Concord Monitor and the Valley Photo Engraving Corp., and president of the Edwardsville Intelligencer.
From 1963 to 1966, Dwight was the Associate Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Works. During the final two years of his tenure he was in charge of administration and fiscal affairs under Commissioner Francis W. Sargent. After his resignation, he resumed his job at the Holyoke Transcript.
From September to December 1968, Dwight directed several task forces that researching state problems for Lieutenant Governor Francis W. Sargent, who was about to become Acting Governor upon the resignation of John A. Volpe. In December 1968, Dwight was appointed by Sargent to serve as Commissioner of Administration and Finance. He was sworn in on January 7, 1969. He was also named chairman of the special commission to modernize state government under Sargent.
On June 18, 1970, Sargent's running mate in the upcoming election, State Representative Martin Linsky, dropped out of the race and Sargent chose Dwight to replace him on the ticket. Linsky's withdrawal came after it was revealed that police officers had once stopped his car and informed him that the woman he was traveling with was a prostitute. Dwight had been a close confidant of Sargent since their days at the Department of Public Works and Sargent described him on more than one occasion as the man he most trusted. Dwight defeated State Senator John M. Quinlan and Springfield mayor Frank H. Freedman at the Republican convention to win his party's nomination for Lieutenant Governor.
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