Edward Joseph DeSaulnier Jr.

Edward Joseph DeSaulnier Jr. (January 8, 1921 – April 20, 1989) was an American politician and judge from the commonwealth of Massachusetts. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1949 to 1957, in the Massachusetts Senate from 1957 to 1958, and on the Massachusetts Superior Court from 1958 to 1972. His son, Mark DeSaulnier, is a member of the United States House of Representatives from California.

Early life DeSaulnier was from Chelmsford, Massachusetts, the son of a French Canadian immigrant. He attended the College of the Holy Cross, then during World War II, served as a combat pilot in the United States Marine Corps; he served during the Battle of Iwo Jima. After the war, he graduated from the Boston University School of Law.

Career DeSaulnier served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1949 to 1957, then served one term in the Massachusetts Senate. Governor Foster Furcolo appointed DeSaulnier to the Massachusetts Superior Court in December 1958. and resigned his judgeship. He developed alcoholism, recovered, and then earned a degree from Rutgers University's School of Alcohol Studies and became deputy director of Broward County, Florida's commission on alcoholism. He petitioned the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers to reinstate his law license in 1979, but his request was denied in 1980. They raced horses under the name Claymore Stables.