176:. He earned his law degree in 1941. "Connie" as he was known to his friends was the fifth of seven children of William R. Kiernan and Ann Doyle. His Father, Will, was a pharmacist in Lowell with a Drug Store located on the corner of School and Broadway in the Acre. During the depression, it was not unusual for those in need to receive medicine from Kiernan's Drug Store free of charge. Like all of the Kiernan boys, Connie worked in the drug store taking the night shifts to give his father a chance for rest. In 1942, he joined the war effort by volunteering for the Army. When Connie returned from Service he ran for School Committee and began a successful law practice in downtown Lowell.
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From 1966 to 1974, Kiernan served as
Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He was considered an extremely sharp legal mind and often had a line of legislators at his desk asking for help in putting through a proposed Bill. He was known to be bipartisan in his advice and guidance.
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Kiernan served on the Lowell School
Committee from 1948 to 1949. He then served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1949 to 1974. From 1958 to 1962 he was the House Majority Leader. He resigned as a Majority Leader to challenge incumbent
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and 24 members not voting. Kiernan's support was divided almost equally between anti-Thompson
Democrats and Republicans, with 44 Democrats and 34 Republicans voting for him on the final ballot.
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on
February 20, 1974, and he was sworn in on March 20. Later that year, Sargent appointed Kiernan to the same position in the Lowell District Court. One of his congratulatory notes came from
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and stated "I have learned more Law sitting at your feet than from any institution". In 2024, The Lowell
Judicial Center was renamed The Cornelius F. Kiernan Judicial Center.
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Henry 3d, William A. (August 15, 1974). "State House
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Meek, Jocelyn (January 22, 1996). "Cornelius F. Kiernan, was judge, Lowell state representative; At 78".
148:(August 15, 1917 – January 20, 1996) was an American politician and judge who served as a member of the
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Kiernan was nominated a special justice in the
Somerville District Court by Governor
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Kenney, Michael (February 13, 1972). "A decorous scrapper: Kiernan sets a mood".
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for the position of
Speaker. During the Speaker's election, Governor-elect
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and a special justice in the
Somerville and Lowell District Courts.
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Kenney, Robert B. (November 9, 1962). "Kiernan Out for
Speaker".
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Micciche, S. J. (January 4, 1963). "Thompson Wins by 5 Votes".
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Majority Leader of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
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Micciche, S. J. (January 3, 1963). "Peabody Stalls Thompson".
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Public officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1959-1960
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Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
