LOWELL—John J. Desmond, 72 years old, former City Councilor and State Representative, died Sunday afternoon at the Tewksbury Hospital.
He was born in Lowell, on July 1, 1930, a son of the late William J. and Mary (Lynch) Desmond, and was a graduate of Lowell High School.
He was a member of a prominent political family of the city. As a lifelong resident of Lowell he first served as a City Councilor from 1960 to 1965. He then was elected as a State Representative and served in the House from 1965 until 1972. During his tenure as a State Representative, Mr. Desmond was Chairman of the powerful Welfare Investigation Committee. His report from this committee called for massive welfare reform; it was initially set aside, but years later was used as the basis for modern welfare reform in the Commonwealth.
Mr. Desmond also took on the Banking lobbies, when he authored and introduced the bill entitled “The Truth-in-Lending Act,” which forced banks and other lending institutions in the state to give the people access to information concerning actual percentage rates, fees and hidden costs of their loans. This law became the model for the Truth-in-Lending Law passed by the Federal Government, making Mr. Desmond’s legislation nationally known.
As a public servant, he was a champion of the average working man, woman and their families. He was instrumental in establishing low-income housing for veterans, the elderly and young families trying to get a good state in life. He worked diligently to distribute funds across the city for parks, playgrounds and programs for the city’s youth. His reputation for honesty, integrity, decency and courage is well known throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
He ended his career in State Government in 1972, after an unsuccessful bid for the United States Congress. From 1973 until his retirement in 1988, he served at the West Roxbury District Court, first as Assistant Clerk Magistrate and later on as Clerk Magistrate.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years Gloria (Winn) Desmond, of Lowell; his children and their spouses: John and Cynthia (Abodeely) Desmond, Jr., of Andover; Alderman Bruce and Barbara (Terry) Desmond, of Somerville; Gary and Donna (Byrne) Desmond, of Lowell; Kevin and Barbara (Chouinard) Desmond, of Hudson, NH; and David and Donna (Dubuque) Desmond, of Lowell; fifteen grandchildren: John and Jeff, of Andover; Matthew, Caitlin, Seamus and Joseph, of Somerville; Kara and Sean, of Lowell; Kevin, Rachael, and Jillian, of Hudson, NH; Molly, Emily, Daniel, and Thomas, of Lowell; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law: Dorothy Campbell, Joan Kouble, Joyce and James Molloy, Deborah and John Taylor, Buddy and Norma Winn, and John Taylor; also two brothers and a sister-in-law: William J. Desmond, and Cornelius and Dorothy Desmond; two sisters and a brother-in-law: Mary, and Patricia and Frank; also many nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was the brother of the late Lucille Taylor.
Friends may call from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 PM on Wednesday, August 21st, at the MAHONEY FUNERAL HOME, 187 Nesmith Street, (Rte. 38), Lowell. His Funeral Mass to be offered Thursday, August 22nd, at 10:30 AM at the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH, Lowell. Burial in St. Mary Cemetery, Tewksbury. Donations in his memory may be made to the Doug Flutie, Jr. Fund for Autism; P.O. Box 767; Framingham, MA 01701.