Guide to the Alice LaFond Altieri papers, 1914-1976

Phillips Memorial Library
Archives and Special Collections
1 Cunningham Square
Providence, RI 02918
Tel: 401-865-2578
Fax: 401-865-1578
Email: pcarchives@providence.edu
Website: https://pml.providence.edu/

Published in 2008

Collection Overview

Title:	Alice LaFond Altieri papers
Date range:	1914-1976
Creator:	Altieri, Alice LaFond, 1894-1976
Extent:	3 box(es)
Abstract:	The papers of Alice LaFond Altieri, state legislator and public official, of North Smithfield, R.I., consists of her political and personal correspondence, scrapbooks and clippings, speeches, reports, and memorabilia.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	Phillips Memorial Library
Collection number:	rppc_altieri

Scope & content

Correspondence, scrapbooks, clippings, speeches, reports, memorabilia, and other papers, reflecting Altieri's political, civic, and charitable activities, including her term (l935-l936) in the Rhode Island House of Representatives, duties as deputy chief of Rhode Island Dept. of Public Welfare, Division of Old Age Security, and activities as public welfare director of North Smithfield are represented in the collection.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Altieri, Alice LaFond, 1894-1976
• Farley, James A. (James Aloysius), 1888-1976
• Fogarty, John Edward, 1913-1967
• Forand, Aime´ Joseph, 1895-1972
• Ford, Gerald R., 1913-2006
• Green, Theodore Francis, 1867-1966
• Humphrey, Hubert H. (Hubert Horatio), 1911-1978
• Kennedy, Edward Moore, 1932-
• Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963
• McGrath, J. Howard (James Howard), 1903-1966
• Pell, Claiborne, 1918-
• Roberts, Dennis Joseph, 1903-1994
• Gelineau, Louis E.

Subject Names

• Altieri, Alice LaFond, 1894-1976

Subject Organizations

• Rhode Island. General Assembly. House of Representatives
• Rhode Island. Division of Old Age Security
• Rhode Island. Dept. of Public Welfare

Subject Topics

• Women in politics -- Rhode Island
• Public welfare administration -- Rhode Island
• Public welfare -- Rhode Island -- Officials and employees
• Public welfare -- Rhode Island -- North Smithfield (Town)
• Women in charitable work -- Rhode Island -- North Smithfield (Town)
• Older people -- Services for -- Rhode Island -- North Smithfield (Town)

Geographical Names

• Rhode Island -- Politics and government -- 1865-1950
• Rhode Island -- Politics and government -- 1951-
• North Smithfield (R.I. : Town) -- Politics and government

Subject Topics

• Government, Politics and Law

Document Types

• annual reports
• brochures
• bylaws (administrative records)
• certificates
• clippings
• letters (correspondence)
• manuscripts
• maps
• newsletters
• personal papers
• photographs
• scrapbooks

Arrangement

The collection is divided into three series.

• Correspondence
• Clippings
• Subject files

Biographical note

From the 1930's through the 1970's Mrs. Altieri played an active role in Rhode Island's civic and political history. Elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives from North Smithfield in 1934, she was one of the first women to hold such a noteworthy position in the State. She began serving in the State House during that period of momentous change now known as the "Bloodless Revolution." Material in the Collection reflects her participation in the Democratic coup.

Born May 1, 1895, in North Smithfield, a daughter of Ernest P. and Maria (McCarthy) LaFond, she was a lifelong resident of North Smithfield with a notable career in public service. Prior to 1927, she was a secretary for the U.S. Surgeon General and for six years was a Deputy Collector of Internal Revenue of the Treasury Department in Providence, R.I..

From 1930 to 1936 she was a member of the North Smith-field School Committee, the first woman to be elected to that committee.

From 1931 to 1933 she was an active volunteer for the Woonsocket Chapter of the American Red Cross. When elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives, she became the first woman of North Smithfield to be elected to a major office.

During her tenure of office she sponsored the Aid to Dependent Children and the Aid to the Blind law and introduced the Civil Service Act in the legislature in 1936. She was active on many committees and later helped to organize the first Old Age program in the state.

She served on the North Smithfield town budget committee from 1943 to 1944, and was a member of the R.I. State Federation of Women's Clubs Legislative Department, R.I. Conference of Social Work, R.I. League of Women Voters, R.I. Association of Public School Officials, American Public Welfare Association, and was director from 1931 to 1936 of the North Smithfield Public Health Nursing Association. For six years she was treasurer and for two years second vice president of the Woonsocket Fortnightly Club.

Mrs. Altieri was the North Smithfield Public Welfare director in 1961 and 1962 and again resumed the post in 1965. She also served as a member of the governor's advisory committee of the R.I. Social Service Index.

During her term as a Rhode Island state representative, she was chairman of the joint legislative committee on public health and vice chairman of both the House Education and Public Welfare Committees.

In addition, she was a member of the board of the Woonsocket Visiting Nurse Association, a member of the board and executive committee of the Woonsocket Chapter Red Cross and a board member and secretary of the North Smithfield Ambulance and Rescue Association.

She was also an auxiliary member of the Woonsocket Hospital Aid Association and corporate member of Butler Hospital and Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital, Providence, R.I..

Mrs. Altieri served as chairman of the North Smithfield Citizens Civic Affairs Committee and headed several drives for the Community Chest and for the North Smithfield Ambulance Association.

Her involvement in politics and career in public service was motivated by a keen and wide-ranging interest in and involvement with others. In spite of personal obligations and health problems, she belonged to many civic and charitable organizations through the years; but these enduring relationships exemplified her concern for the health, education and welfare of her fellow citizens.

Chronology

Date		Event
1895 May 1		Born in North Smithfield, Rhode Island, to Maria Theresa (McCarthy) Lafond and Ernest Lafond.
1914		Graduates from Woonsocket High School; later attends Boston University and works in photographer's studio.
1918		Clerks at the United States War Department Surgeon General's Office, Washington, D.C.
1919		Clerks at the U.S. War Department Medical Department at Large, Northeastern Department, Boston, Massachusetts and for the U.S. War Department Quartermaster Corps, Fort Williams, Portland, Maine.
1920		Becomes the United States Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service, District of Rhode Island Deputy Collector.
1925		Admitted to a Sharon, Massachusetts sanitarium for treatment of tuberculosis.
1930		Named to North Smithfield Democratic Town Committee. Elected to North Smithfield School Committee and joins the Woonsocket Relief Committee.
1931		Named to North Smithfield Public Health Nursing Association Board of Directors and to the North Smithfield Public Health Association Board of Directors.
1931		Joins American Red Cross Woonsocket Chapter and the Rhode Island Women's Democratic Club.
1933		Joins Woonsocket Fortnightly Club and the Garden Club of North Smithfield.
1934		Seconds the nomination of Theodore F. Green for Governor of Rhode Island at Democratic State Convention and joins the Franco-American Citizen's League.
1934		Elected to Rhode Island House (Democrat--North Smithfield) of Representatives.
1935		Appointed to Rhode Island House of Representatives Education, Public Welfare, and Agriculture, the Mechanic Arts Committees, and chairs the Rhode Island Joint Committee on Public Health.
1935		Appointed to Rhode Island House of Representatives Special Committee on Development and Improvement of the State Mental Health Institute and to the Rhode Island Department of Public Welfare Division of Old Age Security Deputy Chief.
1940		Appointed to Rhode Island Children's Court Association.
1941 May 3		Marries Hercules A. Altieri (Rhode Island Department of Social Welfare Fiscal Agent).
1941		Resigns position as Old Age Security Division Deputy Chief.
1942		Appointed Council to Rhode Island Social Service Index Advisory.
1943		Named to North Smithfield Budget Committee.
1948		Partial retirement to take care of her husband, Hercules, who had suffered from a stroke.
1951		Chairs North Smithfield Community Chest Drive.
1952		Named as Woonsocket Girl Scout Council Board Member.
1953		Becomes a member of the Rhode Island Heart Fund Woonsocket Chapter Drive and a North Smithfield Ambulance Drive Member.
1954		Becomes North Smithfield Ambulance Association Secretary.
1955		Becomes Woonsocket Hospital Aid Association Member and is elected as a Rhode Island Constitutional Convention Member.
1956		Becomes a Member of St. Anne Sodality of St. John's Church, chairs North Smithfield Citizens Civic Affairs Committee and the North Smithfield United Fund Drive.
1956		Runs unsuccessfully for the Rhode Island Senate
1957		Renamed to North Smithfield Democratic Town Committee.
1959		Becomes a member of the Butler Health Center Corporation and chairs the Northern Rhode Island United Fund Drive.
1960		Becomes a member of Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital Corporation.
1961		Appointed North Smithfield Public Welfare Director.
1962		Joins North Smithfield Cerebral Palsy Association.
1965		Named to Visiting Nurse Service of Greater Woonsocket Board of Directors and reappointed as North Smithfield Public Welfare Director.
1968		Fired from position as North Smithfield Public Welfare Director.
1970		Named as North Smithfield Centennial Committee Member.
1974 May 6		Husband Hercules A. Altieri dies.
1976 July 14		Alice LaFond Altieri dies at age 80.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	Collection is open for research by appointment. Materials do not circulate. Some materials may be restricted, for further information contact the Archives and Special Collections, Phillips Memorial Library, Providence College.
Use of the materials:	Researchers are advised that express written permission to reproduce, quote, or otherwise publish any portion or extract from this collection must be obtained from the Phillips Memorial Library. Although Providence College has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	Alice LaFond Altieri papers, Providence College, Phillips Memorial Library, Archives and Special Collections.
Contact information:	Phillips Memorial Library Archives and Special Collections 1 Cunningham Square Providence, RI 02918 Tel: 401-865-2578 Fax: 401-865-1578 Email: pcarchives@providence.edu Website: https://pml.providence.edu/

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	In May of 1977, Mrs. Laura LaFond Livermore donated the papers of her sister, Mrs. Alice LaFond Altieri to Providence College.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Providence College Archives Staff.
Encoding:	Finding aid encoded by Russell M. Franks 2008 November 12
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Related material:	There are no known related materials.
Separated material:	No materials have been removed from this collection.

Inventory

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