Francis Snow (April 18, 1941 – May 2, 2015) was an American politician, businessman, and government official who served as a member of the

New Hampshire House of Representatives The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral State legislature (United States), legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members com ...

Early life

Snow was born on April 18, 1941, 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, ...

. He served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

for eight years and then spent seventeen years as an

air traffic controller An Air traffic controller (ATC) is a person responsible for the coordination of traffic in their assigned airspace. Typically stationed in area control centers or control towers, they monitor the position, speed, and altitude of aircraft and c ...

, first in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and then in

Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua () is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. It is on ...

. Snow was one of the 11,345 air traffic controllers fired by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

during the 1981 PATCO strike. Snow attended

Rivier College Rivier University is a private Catholic university in Nashua, New Hampshire, United States. Rivier is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education and approved by the New Hampshire Department of Education. History The school, i ...

and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

through its

continuing education Continuing education is the education undertaken after initial education for either personal or professional reasons. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the d ...

program.

Political career

Snow's firing during the air traffic controllers strike contributed to him becoming a supporter of the Democratic Party. In 1983 he was an alternate delegate to the New Hampshire State Democratic Party Convention. In 1985, he ran in the special election for the seat in the New Hampshire House of Representatives that was vacated by Edward Newcombe, who resigned after he moved out of state. Snow ran a low-key campaign. He promised to work to bring more state money to help improve Nashua's roads, took a stance against the proposed construction of tollbooths on the

Everett Turnpike The Frederick E. Everett Turnpike, also called the Central New Hampshire Turnpike, is a controlled-access toll road in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, running from the Massachusetts border at Nashua north to Concord. The Everett Turnpike i ...

in Nashua, and opposed the creation of a state

sales Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. A period during which goods are sold for a reduced price may also be referred ...

income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...

. Snow defeated Alan Thomaier, a member of the Nashua Board of Education and the

John Birch Society The John Birch Society (JBS) is an American right-wing political advocacy group. Founded in 1958, it is anti-communist, supports social conservatism, and is associated with ultraconservative, radical right, far-right, right-wing populist, and ...

, for the Democratic nomination, and Republican Diane Dyer 165 votes to 115 in the special election. During his tenure in the House, Snow received a 100% rating from the liberal New Hampshire People's Alliance. In 1986, Snow ran for a full term as one of Ward 5's three state representatives. In the Democratic primary, he finished third, behind incumbent David E. Cote and newcomer Linda Long, but ahead of his former opponent, Thomaier. In the general election, Snow, Cote, and Long faced Republicans

Donnalee Lozeau Donnalee Lozeau was the mayor of Nashua, New Hampshire, from 2007 to 2015. She was Nashua's first female mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city ...

and Joseph W. DuBois, Jr. Snow finished fourth, behind Cote, Lozeau, and Long.

Real estate

In 1983, Snow received his New Hampshire

real estate broker Real estate agents and real estate brokers are people who represent sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and age ...

's license. In 1985 he went to work for Valicenti Realty. He later owned and operated his own real estate company, La Neige Real Estate, in Nashua. Snow's experience in real estate included custom home design and building, land development, and property management.

Later life and death

Snow later worked for a friend as a typesetter and returned to government service as a United States Customs inspector. After he retired, Snow moved to

The Villages, Florida The Villages is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sumter, Marion, and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Florida. It forms the core of a broader master-planned, age-restricted community of the same name. Located in central Florida, approxi ...

. He died on May 2, 2015, after a long battle with

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snow, Frank 1941 births 2015 deaths American businesspeople in real estate Businesspeople from New Hampshire Democratic Party members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives Politicians from Nashua, New Hampshire Politicians from Somerville, Massachusetts People from The Villages, Florida Rivier University alumni Typesetters United States Air Force airmen United States Customs Service personnel Air traffic controllers 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century members of the New Hampshire General Court