Frank Bellotti dies at the age of 101

Former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor and three-time Attorney General Francis Xavier Bellotti died Tuesday morning at the age of 101.

“Frank’s legacy lives on through his 11 surviving children, his 25 grandchildren and his 11 great-grandchildren, who continue to honor his memory through their own service,” the family said in a statement.

An only child, Bellotti’s father, a World War I veteran, was raised by his mother in Roxbury and gassed in combat. He was hospitalized and died when Bellotti was 14 years old.

In 1940, Bellotti graduated from Boston English High School and served as a naval officer in World War II, where he led a 58-man squadron. With the help of the GI Bill, he graduated from Tufts University and Boston College Law School. A long and influential career in law, politics and business followed.

How Francis Xavier Bellotti came into politics

He was first elected to public office in 1962 as Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts and later served three terms as Attorney General from 1975 to 1987. He ran for governor three times.

Bellotti has received dozens of awards throughout his long career. In June 2021, swimmers at the annual Frogman swimming competition in Boston Harbor honored him for his service on D-Day, June 6, 1944. He was described in news articles as “the last standing troop leader of a unit in World War II-era Scouts and Raiders, a predecessor to what is now known as the Navy SEALS.

In 1981, the National Association of Attorneys General honored him with the Louis C. Wyman Award as the most outstanding attorney general in the United States.

In 2012, the Quincy District Court was renamed the Francis X. Bellotti Courthouse in his honor.

Bellotti helped found Arbella Insurance Group in Quincy in 1988.

Francis X. Bellotti’s Quincy Roots

He lived in the Wollaston section of Quincy for more than 50 years and raised 12 children with his wife, Maggie, before moving to Hingham several years ago. Maggie died in December 2022 at the age of 98.

“My father was my North Star and always supported me, as did all of his children,” said Michael Bellotti, Norfolk County treasurer and former Norfolk sheriff. “I will miss our conversations about its rich political history, which dates back to the 1960s, and we will forever remember the Sunday dinners we shared over 50 years.”