Barry Locke

Barry Myles Locke (December 21, 1930–March 4, 2007) was an American politician, who served as Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation from 1979 until he was indicted for corruption in 1981.

Barry Locke
Locke (center) in 1979.
Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation
In office
1979–1981
Preceded byFrederick P. Salvucci
Succeeded byJames Carlin
Vermont Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs
In office
1961–1962
Preceded byFranklin S. Billings, Jr.
Succeeded byT. Wesley Grady
Personal details
Born(1930-12-21)December 21, 1930
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
DiedMarch 4, 2007(2007-03-04) (aged 76)
Rockville, Maryland, United States
NationalityAmerican
ParentsArthur Locke (father)
Lillian Mahler (mother)
RelativesAlan (brother)
Alma materBoston University
OccupationPolitician

Early life

Born to Arthur "Leo" Locke and Lillian Mahler, Locke graduate from Boston University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1953. He served two years in the United States Army as a public information officer. After the military, Locke spent five years as a newspaper editor in Michigan before returning to New England as Vermont bureau chief for the United Press International.[1]

Early government career

Locke's government career began in 1961 as the chief administrator and press secretary to the Vermont Governor F. Ray Keyser, Jr.[1] Later that year he became the state's Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs.[2]

In 1963, Locke was appointed public information officer in the office of the Internal Revenue Service's assistant regional commissioner for administration.[2]

Aide to John A. Volpe

From 1964 to 1969 Locke served as press secretary to Governor John A. Volpe.[1] When Volpe became United States Secretary of Transportation after the election of Richard M. Nixon, he joined him as a personal aide.[3]

After Volpe's departure as transportation secretary, Locke served as the public relations director for the Office of Economic Opportunity[4] and Director of the Office of Energy Policy John Arthur Love.[5]

While working in Washington, he served as the manager for middleweight boxer Leo Saenz.[6]

Bi-State Development Agency

In 1977, Locke was appointed executive director of the Bi-State Development Agency.[7] In this position he oversaw St. Louis's transportation network and managed a 2,400-employee workforce.[8]

Secretary of Transportation and Chairman of the MBTA

In 1979, Locke joined the cabinet of Massachusetts Governor Edward J. King as Secretary of Transportation. In 1980, Locke took on a second role as acting chairman of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.[9]

In 1981, a reorganization of the MBTA forced Locke to turn over the day-to-day operation of The T to a general manager.[10]

On May 1, 1981, Locke was placed on an unpaid leave of absence from his MBTA and cabinet posts after Governor King learned that Massachusetts Attorney General Francis X. Bellotti was investigating Locke for accepting kickbacks.[11]

Indictment and conviction
Main article: MBTA kickback schemes

On July 17, 1981, Locke and eight others were indicted for their roles in a kickback scheme at the MBTA.

On February 2, 1982, Locke was convicted on five counts of conspiracy to commit bribery and larceny.[12] Locke is the only Massachusetts Cabinet Secretary to be convicted of a felony while in office since the state's adoption of the cabinet system in 1970.[13][14]

At sentencing, the prosecution requested a four- to five-year sentence. However, Judge Rudolph Pierce, who described Locke as having an "insatiable appetite" for payoffs, believed that the prosecution's sentence request was insufficient because it could allow Locke to be out on parole within 16 months. He sentenced Locke to 7 to 10 years in Walpole State Prison.[14]

Prison

Locke began serving his sentence on March 19, 1982, in Walpole State Prison, but was later transferred to Concord State Prison for the classification process. On July 1st, he was transferred to the medium-security Berkshire House of Correction.[15] On December 23, he was transferred to the Lawrence House of Correction on the basis of family hardship.[16] While in prison, Locke was the editor of a jailhouse newspaper.[17]

On September 29, 1983, Judge Pierce reduced Locke's sentence to 6 to 10 years, as he had miscalculated the date when Locke would have been eligible for parole.[18]

On March 19, 1984, Locke was released on parole.[13]

Later life and death

Locke later left Massachusetts and moved to Montgomery Village, Maryland.[19] For five years he was the president of CHI Centers, a Silver Spring, Maryland-based organization that serves the developmentally disabled. In 2006 he received the Spirit to Serve Award from Marriott International.[19][20]

Locke died on March 4, 2007, of a heart attack.[19]

References
  1. Cooper, Kenneth J. (July 18, 1981). "The public service career of Barry M. Locke". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  2. "Roslindale Man Gets News Post With IRS Office". Boston Globe. March 3, 1963.
  3. "Mass Transit Progeam Encounters Opposition". Associated Press. June 3, 1960. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  4. Means, Marrianne (March 3, 1973). "President Learns More Facts of Life". Associated Press. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  5. Stockton, William (November 9, 1973). "'Voluntary efforts' key to solving crisis". Associated Press. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  6. "Lookout". People. April 22, 1974. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  7. "Focus on Politics". Boston Globe. December 25, 1977.
  8. Kenney, Charles (May 3, 1981). "King Suspends Locke in T Probe". Boston Globe.
  9. Radin, Charles A. (December 8, 1980). "Balance Sheet on the T-Wars". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  10. Mancusi, Peter (April 1, 1981). "O'Leary Replaces Locke as Head Man at the T". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  11. "T head suspended". Associated Press. May 4, 1981. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  12. "Ex-Massachusetts official convicted in bribery case". United Press International. February 2, 1982. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  13. Kindleberger, R.S. (March 20, 1984). "Locke Free, Vows to Aid Prison Reform in Mass". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  14. "Barry Locke sentenced to 7–10 years in Walpole". Associated Press. February 17, 1982. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  15. "Locke is Transferred to Jail in Pittsfield". Boston Globe. July 2, 1982. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  16. "Locke moved to Lawrence jail". Associated Press. December 28, 1982. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  17. "Barry Locke". Associated Press. April 6, 1983. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  18. "Barry Locke – 'Mistake' in jail term hastens parole". Associated Press. September 30, 1983. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  19. "Barry Locke". The Gazette. March 7, 2007. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  20. Zylwitis, Liz M. (September 8, 1999). "New president, new vision for CHI Centers". The Gazette. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
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