John A. Notte Jr. was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated from Providence College in 1931, attended Cornell University from 1931 to 1932, and graduated from Boston University Law School in 1935. He went on to practice law and served as town solicitor in North Providence in 1937. He was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II, following which he was elected Chairman of the Rhode Island Veterans' Bonus Board. He served on the staff of U.S. Senator Theodore Francis Green from 1948 to 1956 and at the same time was Chairman of the North Providence Democratic town committee.
Notte resigned from Senator Green's staff after winning election as Secretary of State, a position that he held until he was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1958. It was while serving as Lieutenant Governor that he ran for, and won, the post of chief state executive. During his single term as governor, a family court was established and Rhode Island held its first one-day, one-place Democratic and Republican primaries.
In his 1962 bid for reelection, Notte was the first Democrat ever to run for governor without the backing of labor, which was unhappy with Notte's withdrawal of support for a state income tax and his decision to legalize night horse racing. The loss of labor backing was considered a significant factor in Notte's defeat for reelection to a second term as governor, after which he returned to the practice of law. He sought the Democratic nomination in 1967 to fill a vacancy in the U.S. House of Representatives but lost the primary.
Source: National Governors Association. (2004). Rhode Island Governor John A. Notte Jr. Retrieved from http://www.nga.org/
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John A. Notte Jr. records, 2010-25, Rhode Island State Archives.
The John A. Notte Jr. records include correspondence to and from John A Notte Jr., event programs and invitations to various events which John A. Notte attended over the course of his political career, state government reports and publications, campaign-related papers, newspaper clippings, photographs and slides and certificates and awards presented to Notte.
Transferred from Barbara Notte (daughter-in-law of John A. Notte Jr.) to the Rhode Island State Archives on September 21, 2010.
The John A. Notte Jr. records include correspondence to and from John A Notte Jr., event programs and invitations to various events which John A. Notte attended over the course of his political career, state government reports and publications, campaign-related papers, newspaper clippings, photographs and slides and certificates and awards presented to Notte.
Includes correspondence to and from John A Notte Jr. including correspondence related to and from John A. Notte Jr. over the course of his political career including his time as Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State and Governor.
Includes programs and invitations to various events which John A. Notte attended over the course of his political career.
Includes Legislative Council reports, state budget and personnel supplement, chart of accounts, a proposal for the Governor’s Disaster Advisory Council, Senate bills, a certified copy of Senate resolution (S 423), Block Island-related papers and a copy of the bill that created the Veterans’ Affairs Commission.
Includes copies of the Democratic State Platform (1958 and 1960), Board of Election certifications (1962), polls and surveys conducted during Notte’s campaign for Governor (1960), election related papers, speeches given by Notte (1950-1960), speeches by DelSesto (1960), Notte campaign-related records press releases (1960-1966), North Providence Platform (undated) and additional general campaign-related files (1950-1974).
Includes reports and publications of Rhode Island state government and municipal government agencies including the Department of Administration, Development Council, Department of Social Welfare, Economic Development Council, Board of Education, Warwick City Plan, Registry of Motor Vehicles, House and Senate Journals (1961-1962) and House Senate Bills (1962). Also includes various publications of the Veterans’ of Foreign Wars related to the United Nations and concerns regarding a World Government and documents and reports from the Governor’s Conference (1962).
Includes Notte’s Inauguration Message (1961), the Governor’s proposed fiscal program (1963), elected officials lists (1959-1962), papers from the Governor’s Conferences (1961, 1962), speeches (1961-1962), judicial opinion (1961), papers related to the income tax debate (1961) and general files of the Notte administration (1960-1961).
Includes preservation photocopies of newspaper clippings related to Notte’s campaign, administration and speeches as well as additional topics related to Notte (1957-1962). This subseries also includes a folder containing preservation photocopies of political and satirical cartoons published in the newspapers related to Notte.
Includes certificates and awards presented to John A Notte over the course of his political career including the National Association of Internal Revenue Employees Recognition certificate.
Includes John A. Notte nameplates from the Governor’s Conference (1962) and a stainless steel nameplate (undated). Also included are two green scapulars gifted to Notte during correspondence with Sister Mary Jane Frances (1960).
Includes many undated photographs of John A. Notte Jr. including a photograph of Governor-elect John A. Notte Jr., Governor-elect John Volpe (MA), Bishop Joseph M. Pernicone, Bishop Edward E. Swanstrom and Dr. Mario Tagliagambe at the 9th Annual American Committee on Italian Migration in New York. Also includes a photograph of Notte being sworn in as Governor of Rhode Island in 1961.