David E. Harrison

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David E. Harrison
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office
1963–1971
Preceded byRichard L. Hull
Succeeded byRichard R. Silva
Personal details
Born
David Elkridge Harrison

(1933-06-19)June 19, 1933
Boston, Massachusetts
DiedDecember 1, 2019 (aged 86)
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMichelle Holovak (m. 1970)
ResidenceGloucester, Massachusetts
Alma materGloucester High School
Tufts College
Portia Law School

David Eldridge Harrison (June 19, 1933 - December 1, 2019) was a former American politician, lobbyist, and judge who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and as Chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party.

Political career[edit]

Harrison was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1963 to 1971, representing the 16th Essex District from 1963 to 1965[1] and the 1st Essex District from 1965 to 1971.[2]

On December 7, 1968, Harrison was unanimously elected Chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party.[3] He stepped down as Chairman in May 1971 after an attempt to solve the committee's heavy debt.[4]

Following his departure from the House, Harrison worked as a lobbyist on Beacon Hill. In 1972 he was the highest paid lobbyist at the Massachusetts State House.[5]

During the 1972 United States Presidential Election, Harrison served as George McGovern's New England Campaign Coordinator.[5]

Judicial career[edit]

Harrison was sworn in as a district court judge on July 27, 1988.[6] He served in the Lowell District Court[7] and later was the First Justice of the Gloucester District Court.[8]

Resignation[edit]

Harrison resigned from the bench in 2006 after the Office of Bar Counsel filed a petition for discipline against him. The petition alleged that Harrison had interfered with the Commission on Judicial Conduct's inquiry of him and that he had assisted a Commission member and another judge in violating the laws protecting the confidentiality of the Commission's proceedings.[9]

In 1999, the Commission on Judicial Conduct investigated Harrison's conduct during a zoning board hearing in Gloucester, Massachusetts. During the investigation, Harrison discussed the Commission's investigation of him with Commission member Gerald Cook and he received and read a copy of the Commission's confidential memorandum.[9]

On February 13, 2006, the Board of Bar Overseers voted to recommend that Harrison's resignation be accepted as a disciplinary sanction. On March 1, 2006, the Supreme Judicial Court for Suffolk County entered judgment accepting the respondent's affidavit of resignation as a disciplinary sanction.[9] A month later, the Supreme Judicial Court ordered that Harrison's name be "stricken from the Roll of Attorneys".[8]

Personal life[edit]

Harrison is a graduate of Gloucester High School, Tufts College,[2] and Portia Law School.[10]

In 1970 he married Michelle Holovak, the daughter of former Boston College and Boston Patriots head coach Mike Holovak.[11]

Outside politics Harrison worked in insurance and real estate sales and also as a high school football and lacrosse referee.[2]

Harrison died on December 1, 2019, in Danvers, Massachusetts.[12]

References[edit]

  1. ^ 1963-1964 Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
  2. ^ a b c 1969-1970 Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
  3. ^ Lydon, Christopher (December 8, 1968). "Democrats Swiftly Elect Harrison as Chairman". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  4. ^ Ellis, David (February 26, 1971). "Harrison to step down as state Democratic chairman". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  5. ^ a b Cohen, Steven A. (August 16, 1972). "Highest-Paid Mass. Lobbyist to Head McGovern NE Drice". Associated Press. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  6. ^ "David Harrison, 54, Sworn in as Judge". The Boston Globe. July 27, 1988. Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  7. ^ "Judge denies bail for Lowell couple". Boston Herald. January 25, 1996. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  8. ^ a b Rabinovitz, Barbara (May 29, 2006). "The trials and tribulations of David Harrison, former Gloucester District Court First Justice". Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  9. ^ a b c "In Re: David E. Harrison". Mass.gov. Board of Bar Overseers. Office of Bar Counsel. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  10. ^ "Profiles of 10 Award Winners". The Boston Globe. March 12, 1967.
  11. ^ "Miss Michelle Holovak Betrothed". The New York Times. January 21, 1970. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  12. ^ "DAVID E. HARRISON". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
Party political offices
Preceded by Chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party
1968–1971 		Succeeded by
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