American politician
Frank R. Licht
(March 3, 1916 – May 30, 1987) was an American politician and the
67th Governor of Rhode Island
from 1969 to 1973, serving as the first
Jewish
governor in Rhode Island state history. He was also an associate justice of the
Rhode Island Superior Court
from 1956 to 1968 and a member of the Rhode Island Senate from 1949 to 1956.
Early life and career
[
edit
]
Licht was born on March 3, 1916
[1]
[2]
in
Providence, Rhode Island
. He was the son of Rose (Kassed) and Jacob Licht. His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants.
[3]
He graduated from
Brown University
in 1938 and
Harvard Law School
in 1941, where he was a member of the
Phi Beta Kappa Society
at both universities. In 1946, he married Dorothy Shirley Krauss; they had three daughters, and eight grandchildren.
In 1942 Licht was admitted to the Rhode Island bar, where he served as a
law clerk
for Judge John C. Mahoney of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in
Boston
. He was a partner with the Providence firm of Letts & Quinn from 1943 to 1956 and was an active member of the
Freemasons
.
[4]
Licht was elected to the
Rhode Island Senate
in 1949 and served there until 1956. He sat on the Superior Court of Rhode Island from 1956 to 1968. During his time on the Superior Court, Licht was a founding member of the Providence Human Rights Commission, was the Chairman of the Chapin Hospital Commission, and was a general lecturer at
Bryant College
in
Smithfield, Rhode Island
, where he was a member of
Delta Sigma Rho
, a national debating fraternity.
[5]
Governor of Rhode Island
[
edit
]
In
1968
Licht announced his intention to run for the Democratic nominee for
Governor of Rhode Island
. During the campaign Licht was seen as the underdog candidate against three term incumbent, later
Secretary of the Navy
, and
U.S. Senator
,
John Chafee
. On November 5, 1968, Licht beat Chafee in a close election, winning with only 51% of the vote. He served as the first
Jewish
governor of the state of Rhode Island from 1969 to 1973.
[6]
As governor, he reversed campaign promises he made in 1968 and 1970, pushing through Rhode Island's first
income tax
in order to resolve a worsening fiscal crisis. He signed the tax bill minutes after the
Senate
had passed it on a 26?24 vote, against the backdrop of some 500 angry demonstrators in the
State House
. During his term as governor, Licht approved more business projects than any other governor in Rhode Island's history, and helped create the Rhode Island Department of Social Rehabilitation Services, and the Rhode Island Department of Mental Health, Retardation, and Hospitals.
[7]
Licht took a strong stand on environmental protection, playing a big role in revitalizing the New England Water Pollution Control Commission. He created an eleven-member Governor's Council on Environmental Quality, expanding regulatory authority against air and water pollution, and providing tax credits to businesses that included pollution-control systems into their operations. In 1973 Governor Licht did not run for reelection due his unpopularity for implementing a temporary statewide sales tax.
[5]
Later life and death
[
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]
After leaving office as governor, Licht returned to practicing law in Rhode Island. The
Providence County Courthouse
in
College Hill, Providence
, where the Rhode Island Superior Court, the
Rhode Island Supreme Court
, and the Rhode Island Law Library are located, and where Licht served as a justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court, was named the Frank Licht Judicial Complex in 1986, in honor of the former governor, and justice of the court.
[8]
Frank Licht was the uncle of
Richard A. Licht
, who was
Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island
from 1985 to 1989 and unsuccessfully challenged John Chafee for the
U.S. Senate
seat he held in
1988
.
On May 30, 1987, Licht died of cancer at
Roger Williams Hospital
, in
Providence Rhode Island
.
[9]
He was survived by his father, Jacob Licht; his wife, Dorothy; his three daughters, and four grandchildren.
Michael Dukakis
, the
Governor of Massachusetts
, the later 1988 Democratic nominee for
President
, and friend of Governor Licht, attended and spoke at his funeral in 1987.
[10]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Rhode Island Superior Court Centennial"
. Retrieved
June 25,
2023
.
- ^
State, Rhode Island Department of (June 25, 1967).
"Manual, with Rules and Orders, for the Use of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island"
. Rhode Island Department of State
. Retrieved
June 25,
2023
– via Google Books.
- ^
"FamilySearch.org"
. Retrieved
June 25,
2023
.
- ^
"The Political Graveyard: Freemasons, politicians, Rhode Island"
.
politicalgraveyard.com
. Retrieved
June 25,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
"Guide to the Records of Governor Frank Licht 1959?1973"
. uri.edu. Archived from
the original
on July 29, 2014
. Retrieved
December 3,
2012
.
- ^
"RI Governor"
. ourcampaigns.com. July 20, 2005
. Retrieved
December 3,
2012
.
- ^
"Rhode Island Governor Frank Licht"
. nga.org
. Retrieved
December 3,
2012
.
- ^
"Licht Judicial Complex ? Providence, Rhode Island"
. waymarking.com
. Retrieved
December 3,
2012
.
- ^
"FRANK LICHT, AN EX-GOVERNOR; LED RHODE ISLAND IN LATE 60'S"
. May 31, 1987
. Retrieved
June 25,
2023
– via NYTimes.com.
- ^
"Richard Licht Political Campaign: U.S. Senate 1988 - 2000"
. Archived from
the original
on July 24, 2005.
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