James J. Gaffney III

James J. Gaffney III
James J. Gaffney III
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 41st Middlesex District
	In office; 1975–1979
Preceded by	George R. Sprague
Succeeded by	District eliminated
Personal details
Born	December 20, 1942 (age 82); Boston
Nationality	American
Political party	Independent (1974–1979); Republican (1992)
Alma mater	Harvard College; Boston University School of Law

James J. "Jay" Gaffney III (December 20, 1942, Boston) is an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1975 to 1979.

Early life

Gaffney was born on December 20, 1942, in Boston.^[1] In 1964 he graduated from Harvard College. Gaffney served two tours of duty in the army infantry during the Vietnam War.^[2] In 1966 he suffered a debilitating leg injury when he stepped on a land mine. Gaffney later attended and graduated from the Boston University School of Law.^[2]

Political career

In 1974, Gaffney was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives as an independent. He was reelected in 1976.^[1]

In 1978 he ran for the United States House of Representatives seat in Massachusetts's 5th congressional district, which was being vacated by Paul Tsongas. He finished in third place with 19% – behind Democrat James Shannon (52%) and Republican John J. Buckley (28%).

After leaving the House, Gaffney opened a law practice. He works in real estate, personal injury and corporate law.^[2]

In 1992 he ran for the Massachusetts Senate as a Republican.^[2] He lost to Democrat John D. O'Brien 54% to 46%.

References

^ ^a ^b Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1977-1978.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Walker, Adrian (October 17, 1992). "O'Brien, Gaffney in a generational battle". The Boston Globe.

[PublicOfficers-1] Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1977-1978.

[Walker-2] Walker, Adrian (October 17, 1992). "O'Brien, Gaffney in a generational battle". The Boston Globe.

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