Charles E. Shepard Explained

Charles E. Shepard
Birth Date:21 September 1901
Birth Place:Warren, Massachusetts
Death Place:West Brookfield, Massachusetts
Restingplace:Pine Grove Cemetery
Warren, Massachusetts
Occupation:Farmer
Party:Republican Party
Alma Mater:Bay Path Institute
Massachusetts Commissioner/Secretary of Administration and Finance
Term Start:1970
Term End:1971
Predecessor:Donald Dwight
Successor:Robert Yasi
Title2:Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 4th Worcester district
Term Start2:1941
Term End2:1947

Charles E. Shepard (September 21, 1901 – September 9, 1992) was an American government official who was the first Secretary of Administration and Finance of Massachusetts.

Early life

Shepard was born on September 21, 1901, in Warren, Massachusetts.[1] He was a seventh generation dairy farmer and lived and worked on Elm View Farm in Warren for most of his life. He graduated from Warren High School and the Bay Path Institute in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Government service

From 1935 to 1943, Shepard was a member of the Warren finance committee. He was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1940, and was re-elected in 1942 and 1944. During his final term he was vice chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and helped modernize the state's budgeting process. Rather than run for reelection in 1946, Shepard became the first ever budget director of the House Ways and Means Committee. In 1965 he was appointed deputy commissioner for fiscal affairs in the department of Administration and Finance by Governor John A. Volpe.[2] In June 1970 he was promoted to the Commissioner of Administration and Finance by Acting Governor Francis Sargent. When the position was reorganized into a cabinet-level office the following year, Shepard became the first Secretary of Administration and Finance of Massachusetts.[3] He retired on September 27, 1971.[4]

Later life

After retiring, Shepard was a part-time consultant on state finances to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. He died on September 9, 1992, at a nursing home in West Brookfield, Massachusetts after a yearlong battle with cancer.[5] [6]

Notes and References

  1. Book: 1945-1946 Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts . Irving N. Hayden and Lawrence R Grove .
  2. News: Rollins . Bryant . Toomey Demoted For Davoren Snub . The Boston Globe . January 12, 1965.
  3. News: Shepard first to join Sargent's cabinet . The Boston Globe . January 5, 1971.
  4. News: Shepard retires; Sargent aides rise . The Boston Globe . September 28, 1971.
  5. News: Charles Shepard, longtime state official, at 90 . Telegram & Gazette . September 11, 1992.
  6. News: Charles E. Shepard, 1st to hold post of finance secretary; at 90 . The Boston Globe . September 11, 1992.