LEO A. GOSSELIN
The picture located in the center of this edition of a testimonial banquet for Town Clerk, Leo A. Gosselin, was contributed by Bertrand Z. Remillard. The banquet was held on October 24, 1935 on the second floor of Assumption Church hall. Bert is also to be credited for the tedious task of numbering each person in the picture and for identifying as many of them as he was able to. If any are identified incorrectly, he apologized.
Leo A. Gosselin, because of his youthful appearance, was branded by one of his political opponents as "the boy in short pants" early on, but he was nevertheless well respected in the community and had a long political career. He was a former Town Clerk, Town Counsel and Selectman, and also a former Chairman of the Democratic Town Committee. A life-long resident of Bellingham, he graduated from Suffolk Law School in Boston, and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar Association in 1935, maintaining a law practice in Bellingham since then.
Leo served as Bellingham Town Clerk for 17 years, resigning in 1951. He was Town Counsel for 23 years, a member of the School Committee from 1941 to 1946, Tax Collector in 1943 and 1944 and a member of the Board of Selectmen from 1945 to 1946.
He was Chairman of the Democratic Town Committee for 31 years and was a member of the Electoral College in 1948 during the Truman election. He was appointed Clerk of the Court for Norfolk County, was past National President of Union St. Jean the Baptist, former President of the Citizens Party, first President of Council Lafayette 439, legal counsel for Union St. Jean the Baptist, a member of the Knights of Columbus of Franklin, a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Assumption Church, and a charter member of the Bellingham Lions Club.
In 1984, he received a citation and was entered into the Massachusetts Voters Hall of Fame for voting in all elections for more than 50 years. He died on November 18, 1988 at the age of 77 and had been a life-long resident of Bellingham. The new U.S. Post Office in Bellingham was dedicated in his honor in 1991 and "the boy in short pants" will always be remembered for his political acumen and impartiality.
Died November 18, 1988