Francis X. Bellotti has been a prominent figure in Massachusetts’ political and business landscape and has indelibly impacted the state and its residents. A Quincy native, Bellotti’s career has spanned almost seven decades, marked by his unwavering commitment to public service, justice, community engagement, and a crucial role in forming the Arbella Mutual Insurance Company by a special act of the Legislature in 1988.
On Wednesday, May 3, 2023, Mr. Bellotti will mark his one-hundredth birthday. Agency Checklists wanted to mark the milestone with a brief summary of Mr. Bellotti’s remarkable career, including his major role in the creation of the Arbella Mutual Insurance Company by special legislation.
Mr. Bellotti’s pivotal role in the formation of Arbella
In the mid-1980s, the Massachusetts auto insurance market was continuing to lose market capacity with the exit of national carriers from the state because of restrictive “fix and establish” premium rates and high residual market charges.
After losing almost $40 million a year in Massachusetts auto insurance during policy years 1986 and 1987, Kemper Insurance, the third largest auto insurance writer, signaled it would leave the state, costing 400 jobs, flooding 250,000 policyholders into the residual market, and terminating 200 independent agents.
Kemper proposed a $100 million plan by which it would fund a replacement company, thereby avoiding job losses, market disruption, and agency terminations. The plan, however, required a special act of the Legislature to establish the new company and clearance of the commissioner of insurance for Kemper to avoid its non-auto insurance authority being canceled under a law penalizing insurers that withdrew from the Massachusetts auto insurance market
Mr. Bellotti, by then in private practice, represented Kemper and worked with John Donahue, one of his former assistant attorney generals, to shepherd the necessary approvals through the division of insurance and the special legislation through the Legislature and onto the governor’s desk in record time.
Although many in-the-know persons at that time gave Arbella three years to go bust, the team Mr. Bellotti put together with Mr. Donahue confounded the naysayers. Arbella has thrived and developed over the last thirty-five with Mr. Bellotti still involved as its vice-board chairman and Mr. Donahue continuing as its President and CEO. See Agency Checklists’ article of February 4, 2020, “An Interview With Arbella President & CEO John Donohue.”
Arbella Insurance Foundation and philanthropic efforts
Mr. Bellotti’s involvement with Arbella extended to philanthropy. In 2004, the company established the Arbella Insurance Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to supporting local non-profits and community initiatives. As Chairman of the Foundation, Bellotti oversaw the distribution of millions of dollars in grants to various causes, including education, healthcare, and public safety.
Twelve years as Attorney General of Massachusetts
Mr. Bellotti first won public office in 1962 to serve as Lieutenant Governor for the Commonwealth from 1963 until 1965.
From 1975 until 1987, Mr. Bellotti served three terms as the Attorney General of Massachusetts. Under his leadership, the Attorney General’s office underwent significant reforms, modernizing its operations and expanding its reach to address a wide range of issues affecting the state’s residents.
During his tenure as Attorney General, Bellotti tackled numerous high-profile cases playing a critical role in combating corruption, working tirelessly to expose and prosecute instances of fraud and abuse of power within both the public and private sectors. He revolutionized the running of the Office of the Attorney General, making it a model for both local and national prosecutors. As a result of his work as Attorney General, the National Association of Attorney Generals twice honored Mr. Bellotti. In 1981, he received the Louis C. Wyman Award from the Association as the most outstanding attorney general in the United States of the year. The Association also later awarded him with its President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his lifelong service and commitment to the attorney general community.
In 2001, the National Attorney Generals’ Association also established the Francis X. Bellotti Award, an annual award presented to a member of the Society of Attorney General Emeriti whose work has furthered the Association’s vision and mission.
Other accolades
A few of the numerous awards and accolades Mr. Bellotti has received during his more than seventy years in the public eye include:
- Honorary law degrees from the New England School of Law and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
- In 1992, the Social Law Library created the Francis X. Bellotti Endowment for Special Acquisitions in his honor.
- In 2012, the Quincy District Court was renamed the Francis X. Bellotti Courthouse.
- In 2013, the Insurance Library Association of Boston named him “Insurance Professional of the Year” for his commitment to the Massachusetts insurance industry in the founding and successful development of Arbella into a major Massachusetts insurer.
Military service and education
Mr. Bellotti served in the U.S. Navy in World War II as a lieutenant junior grade. Following the war, Mr. Bellotti graduated from Tufts University in 1947 graduate, and Boston College Law School in 1952.
The Bellotti family
Mr. Bellotti was married for seventy-three years to his wife, Margarita (“Maggie”). Together, they raised twelve children. When Maggie passed on December 26, 2023, they counted 26 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
His lasting impact on the people and state of Massachusetts
As we celebrate Francis X. Bellotti’s 100th birthday, we acknowledge the profound impact he has had on the people and the state of Massachusetts. His work as a public servant, lawyer, businessman, and philanthropist has touched countless lives, and his influence can still be felt throughout the state’s political, legal, and business landscapes.
