Rhode Island Republican

Victorious in three campaigns for governor of Rhode Island, Democrat Dennis J. Roberts faced a new kind of threat last fall. Republican Challenger Christopher Del Sesto could entice heavily Italian-American Rhode Island with an Italian name. He was also a well-known, friendly ex-Democrat who had gagged ten years ago on Democratic bureaucracy. Last week, completing a count of absentee and shut-in ballots that has dragged on since Nov. 20, weary election supervisors finally confirmed Denny Roberts' fears. Winning by a slim 427 votes out of almost 390,000 cast, stocky, greying Chris Del Sesto, 49, was elected Rhode Island's first Republican governor in 16 years.

Cold Shoulder. The son of immigrant parents, Del Sesto learned accounting at Boston University ('28), found ample opportunity one year later to put theory to practice auditing the books of collapsing brokerage houses. Entering the state treasurer's office, he eventually became chief accountant, caught the eye of Governor Theodore Francis Green. Green appointed him budget director and controller. When Green went to the Senate in 1937,* he found Del Sesto a Government accounting job in Washington, which Del Sesto used to finance his way through Georgetown University law school. After getting his degree, he returned to Providence, in 1941 became Governor (later U.S. Senator) J. Howard McGrath's finance director. When war came, he was appointed Rhode Island's price-control boss.

It was after the war that Del Sesto had a falling out with his party. Says he: "I considered the OPA a temporary wartime emergency agency. But I saw signs that the Democratic Administration wanted to perpetuate it as another bureaucracy." Cold-shouldered by Democrats for publicly expressing his views, Del Sesto switched to the Republicans, in 1952 ran for mayor of Providence.

Helped Out. As "a 100% Eisenhower man," Del Sesto this year jumped back into the political wars to block Dennis Roberts' fourth-term ambitions. Young Republicans organized an effective doorbell campaign. Disgruntled state employees flocked to ex-Employee Del Sesto's support. Attractive Lola Del Sesto and their three sons gave him an emotional appeal that Bachelor Denny Roberts did not have. Most important of all, much of the Italian-American vote shook off Democratic habit to boost a man with a name like Del Sesto.

The decision in, Chris Del Sesto last week planned towards a double goal: molding a good administration and rebuilding Rhode Island's Republican Party. In the latter assignment he was receiving assistance from an unexpected quarter. Disheartened Denny Roberts took court action to have 5,602 tide-turning absentee and shut-in ballots disqualified. But a sizable number of Democrats were disgusted by his antics. Said one angrily: "Roberts has done to the party in minutes what the G.O.P has failed to do in years."

*Green, now the Senate's dean, is 89. If he should retire or die during Del Sesto's administration, the new governor would likely appoint Republican Bayard Ewing, 40, a Providence lawyer and Republican National Committeeman.

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