Edmund Dinis

Edmund Dinis
Portrait of senator in the Massachusetts General Court
Bristol County Treasurer
In office
1973–1979
Preceded byErnest W. Kilroy
Succeeded byFrank Vieira
District Attorney for the Southern District
In office
1959–1971
Preceded byDistrict created
Succeeded byPhilip A. Rollins
Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the 3rd Bristol District
In office
1953–1957
Preceded byEdward C. Peirce
Succeeded byArthur Mullen
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 8th Bristol District
In office
1949–1951
Preceded byJacinto F. Diniz
Succeeded byJoseph Saulnier
Personal details
Born(1924-10-04)October 4, 1924
São Miguel Island, Azores[1]
Died(2010-03-14)March 14, 2010
Dartmouth, Massachusetts, US
ProfessionAttorney

Edmund Dinis (October 4, 1924 – March 14, 2010) was a Portuguese-born American politician from Massachusetts.

He was born in the Azores, Portugal, after his parents were already U.S. citizens. His father Jacinto F. Diniz served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. After graduating from high school, Dinis served in the United States Army during World War II. He then studied law at Suffolk University and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar. Dinis also went to the University of Chicago and to the Harvard University Graduate School of Public Administration.[2]

Dinis was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1949 to 1951, the New Bedford City Council from 1952 to 1953, and the Massachusetts State Senate from 1953 to 1957.[2] From 1973 to 1979 he was the treasurer of Bristol County, Massachusetts. Dinis also served as district attorney for the Southern District, including Bristol County, from 1959 to 1971. He prosecuted the Chappaquiddick incident involving Senator Ted Kennedy.[3][4] He was defeated for reelection in 1970 by Philip A. Rollins. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States House of Representatives seat in Massachusetts's 12th congressional district in 1976, district attorney in 1978 and 1982, the Massachusetts Governor's Council in 1980, and Bristol County Sheriff in 1984.[5]

Dinis owned radio station WJFD-FM from 1975 until his death on March 14, 2010, in Dartmouth, Massachusetts.[1]

  1. ^ a b DENNIS HEVESI (March 20, 2010). "Edmund Dinis, Prosecutor in Chappaquiddick Case, Dies at 85". The New York Times.
  2. ^ a b '1953-1954 Public Officials of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,' Irving N. Hayden-Massachusetts Senate clerk and Lawrence Grove-Massachusetts House of Massachusetts House of Representatives-clerks. Biographical Sketch of Edmund Dinis, pg. 50
  3. ^ "Edmund Dinis dies, prosecutor in Chappaquiddick case", Washington Post, March 17, 2010
  4. ^ Edmund Dinis-obituary
  5. ^ "Edmund Dinis (D)". PD43+ Massachusetts Election Statistics. Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 22, 2018.