Archibald Raphael Giroux (October 19, 1897 – October 15, 1968) was an American stockbroker and politician who served as president of the

Boston Stock Exchange The Boston Stock Exchange (now NASDAQ BX, formerly ''BSE'') was a regional stock exchange formerly located in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1834, making it the third-oldest stock exchange in the United States. On October 2, 2007, NASDAQ ...

and chairman of the

Massachusetts Republican Party The Massachusetts Republican Party (MassGOP) is the Massachusetts branch of the U.S. Republican Party. Originally, the party was formed in 1854. Soon after its founding, the party quickly became the dominant party in the state with Massachuse ...

Early life

Giroux was born on October 19, 1897, in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 81, ...

, to Arthur E. and Jessie (Emery) Giroux. His mother later remarried Arthur E. Haley, also of Somerville. Giroux graduated from Somerville High School and

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

World War I

On April 28, 1917, Giroux enlisted in the American Ambulance Field Service. He served on the French front from April 28 to October 28, 1917. Following the

Halifax Explosion On the morning of 6 December 1917, the French cargo ship collided with the Norwegian vessel in the harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. ''Mont-Blanc'', laden with Explosive material, high explosives, caught fire and exploded, devastat ...

, Giroux delivered a fleet of ambulances for the Boston Red Cross to

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

. On April 22, 1918, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force. He trained at the Toronto Ground School, the No. 7 Fighting School in

Eastchurch Eastchurch is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Sheppey, in the English county of Kent, two miles east of Minster, Swale, Minster. The village website claims the area has "a history steeped in stories of piracy and smugglers". Aviation ...

, and

RAF Turnberry RAF Turnberry was an airfield in Scotland used by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the First World War, and again by the RAF in the Second World War. Between the two wars, the site reverted to its pre-1914 use ...

. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant on November 21, 1918. He was released from the RAF on February 25, 1919, and returned to the United States. Later that year he served as a volunteer police officer during the Boston police strike. His brother, Ernest A. Giroux, was a First Lieutenant in the

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...

who was killed in action on May 22, 1918.

Boston Stock Exchange

Giroux was admitted to the Boston Stock Exchange on March 31, 1930. In 1939 he was elected vice president of the exchange. Three years later he was elected president of the BSE.

Politics

In 1935, Giroux was elected to the

Lexington, Massachusetts Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by ...

, board of selectmen. In 1936 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

. In 1940 he was elected to the Middlesex County Commission.

World War II

In 1943, Giroux was commissioned a captain in the military government branch of the

United States Army Provost Marshal General The provost (pronounced "provo") marshal general is a United States Army staff position that handles investigations of U.S. Army personnel. It is the highest-ranking provost marshal position in the U.S. Army, reporting to the Chief of Staff of ...

's office. He served in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

, and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He was assigned as an American military government officer with the British infantry in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

until the Allies entered Germany. He then served as commander of a British military government unit that was part of a joint British-American operation. He returned to the United States Army as the commanding officer of a military government detachment in

Hof, Bavaria Hof () is a town on the banks of the Saale in the northeastern corner of the German state of Bavaria, in the Franconian region, at the Czech border and the forested Fichtel Mountains and Franconian Forest upland regions. The town has 47,296 in ...

. From 1945 to 1946 his son, Ernest A. Giroux Jr., served in the same unit. Giroux was discharged in 1946 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was awarded the

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

by the French government for his service in Normandy.

Later life

On March 14, 1946, Giroux was elected chairman of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee. He did not run for reelection in 1947 and was succeeded by Lloyd B. Waring. He served as campaign manager of Governor

Robert F. Bradford Robert Fiske Bradford (December 15, 1902 – March 18, 1983) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as the 57th governor of Massachusetts, from 1947 to 1949. Early years Robert Fiske Bradford was born in Boston, Massachuse ...

unsuccessful 1948 reelection campaign. Giroux served as vice president and general manager of Haley-Cate Co. from 1947 until his death on October 15, 1968. He was buried in

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery, located in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, is the first rural or garden cemetery in the United States. It is the burial site of many prominent Boston Brahmins, and is a National Historic Landmark. Dedicated in ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giroux, Archibald R. 1897 births 1968 deaths American stockbrokers Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery Dartmouth College alumni Massachusetts Republican Party chairs Politicians from Lexington, Massachusetts People from Somerville, Massachusetts Presidents of the Boston Stock Exchange Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Selectmen in Massachusetts United States Army personnel of World War II