John Volpe | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Volpe in 1970 | |
| United States Ambassador to Italy | |
| In office March 6, 1973 – January 24, 1977 | |
| President | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Graham Martin |
| Succeeded by | Richard N. Gardner |
| 2nd United States Secretary of Transportation | |
| In office January 22, 1969 – February 2, 1973 | |
| President | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Alan Boyd |
| Succeeded by | Claude Brinegar |
| Chair of the National Governors Association | |
| In office October 16, 1967 – July 21, 1968 | |
| Preceded by | William L. Guy |
| Succeeded by | Buford Ellington |
| 61st and 63rd Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office January 7, 1965 – January 22, 1969 | |
| Lieutenant | |
| Preceded by | Endicott Peabody |
| Succeeded by | Francis Sargent |
| In office January 5, 1961 – January 3, 1963 | |
| Lieutenant | Edward F. McLaughlin Jr. |
| Preceded by | Foster Furcolo |
| Succeeded by | Endicott Peabody |
| Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration Acting | |
| In office October 22, 1956 – February 5, 1957 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Charles Dwight Curtiss |
| Succeeded by | Bertram D. Tallamy |
| Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Works | |
| In office February 1953 – October 22, 1956 | |
| Governor | Christian Herter |
| Preceded by | William F. Callahan |
| Succeeded by | Carl A. Sheridan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Anthony Volpe December 8, 1908 Wakefield, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | November 11, 1994 (aged 85) Nahant, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Giovannina Benedetto
(m. 1934) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Wentworth Institute of Technology (BS) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1942–1946 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant Commander |
| Unit | Seabees |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
John Anthony Volpe (/ˈvoʊlpi/ VOHL-pee; December 8, 1908 – November 11, 1994) was an American businessman, diplomat, and politician from Massachusetts. A son of Italian immigrants, he founded and owned a large construction firm. Politically, he was a Republican in increasingly Democratic Massachusetts, serving as its 61st and 63rd Governor from 1961 to 1963 and 1965 to 1969, as the United States Secretary of Transportation from 1969 to 1973, and as the United States Ambassador to Italy from 1973 to 1977.[1] As Secretary of Transportation, Volpe was an important figure in the development of the Interstate Highway System at the federal level.