John N. Dempsey; Former Governor of Connecticut
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KILLINGLY, Conn. — Former Gov. John N. Dempsey, an Irish immigrant who became one of Connecticut’s most beloved politicians, has died at his home here. He was 74.
Dempsey had entered a hospital which bears his name in Farmington, outside Hartford, on June 16. At the request of his family, the hospital never released the nature of his illness, but it was widely reported that he had lung cancer. He returned Friday to his home in northeastern Connecticut, where he died Sunday.
Dempsey, a Democrat, served as governor from 1961 to 1971, only the second person in Connecticut history to serve a full decade in office. Throughout his political career, which began in the 1940s, Dempsey said he lived by a simple credo: “You’ve got to help people. I love people.”
Born in Cahir, County Tipperary, Ireland, Dempsey arrived in the United States in 1925 and settled with his parents in Putnam, Conn.
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