lieutenant governor predecessor successor death_date birth_place death_place party office birth_date term_start order spouse image article_title term_end birth_name
donald r. dwight john a. volpe john a. volpe elliot richardson michael s. dukakis donald r. dwight 21 october 1998 hamilton , massachusetts dover , massachusetts republican governor of massachusetts 29 july 1915 january 22 , 1969 1967 64th 63rd lieutenant governor of massachusetts jessie sargent -lrb- 1938-1998 -rrb- governor francis sargent.jpg francis w. sargent
 january 2 , 1975 1971 acting governor , 1969-1971 francis william sargent
francis w. sargent

francis williams sargent -lrb- july 29 , 1915 -- october 21 , 1998 -rrb- was the 64th governor of massachusetts from 1969 to 1975 .
born in 1915 in hamilton , massachusetts , he was known for his sharp wit and self-deprecating manner .
a republican , `` sarge '' graduated from charles river school , noble & greenough school and was a student in the architecture program at massachusetts institute of technology where he was a classmate and friend of i.m. pei , although sargent never graduated .
he had served in world war ii and fought in italy .
he would earn a bronze star and a purple heart .
he was an avid fisherman on cape cod and became interested in the environment because he was frustrated by overfishing and the use of illegal nets .
he was a dedicated conservationist who delivered the keynote address at mit on the first earth day in 1970 .
he had earlier served as state commissioner of natural resources for ten years , and went on to win appointment as state commissioner of public works in 1964 .
he ran for lieutenant governor with the slogan `` put sarge in charge '' and was elected in 1966 , and in 1969 , he became governor when governor john volpe -lrb- r -rrb- became secretary of transportation under president richard nixon .
in 1970 , sargent won election in his own right , defeating boston mayor kevin white .
