David Ignatius Walsh Monument

In Bronze and Granite, sculpted by Joseph A. Coletti, 1964

David Ignatius Walsh was the first Irish-Catholic governor of Massachusetts and also its first Irish-Catholic senator. As governor, Walsh fought to give women the right to vote and to reform the state’s labor compensation system. As senator—an office he held for 26 years—Walsh served on the Committee of Naval Affairs and opposed American entry into World War II. He actively participated in America First, an antiwar organization, until the attack on Pearl Harbor changed his views.

Although this sculpture appears intact, its granite base is in fact missing three bronze relief plaques depicting an eagle, the Massachusetts seal, and the Navy’s insignia. The figure’s clothes are heavily stylized, which is to say that their long, linear folds seem more decorative than representational. Above the figure is a Latin inscription that translates as “Not for self, but for country,” the motto of the US Navy and also a fitting account of Walsh’s public service.

Photo 81e, July 2012

David Ignatius Walsh Monument

Photo 88e, July 2012