Joseph A. “Joe” Langone was born Giuseppe Antonio Langone in Marsico Nuovo, located in Southern Italy, in 1866. He immigrated to Boston as a child in 1875 where he and his family settled in the North End. Langone worked various jobs as a young man, and by 1897 he was operating his own business as an undertaker.
In addition to being a successful undertaker, Langone was politically active and well-known in his community. In 1907 he was awarded a bronze medal in Milan in recognition of his success as a businessman and a community leader. He represented his district in the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 1923-1924 term and served as an officer in the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Massachusetts chapter of the Order of the Sons of Italy in America, which he helped establish.
In 1927, Italian immigrants and anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed in Boston several years after being convicted of murder. Many people believed that they had been wrongfully convicted, especially those in the Italian immigrant community. Langone took on the tasks of arranging and hosting their wake, the procession to Forest Hills, and the cremation of their remains. Over 10,000 people visited Langone’s funeral home over the course of two days to pay their respects to the two men.
Langone himself passed away in 1930 and his own funeral was impressive. Over 150 cars, headed up by a squad of state troopers on motorcycles, made up the procession from his home in Wakefield to Sacred Heart Church in North Square. According to the Boston Globe, North Square “was thronged with thousands of men and women from all walks of life who all stood there to pay tribute to "Joe."
Langone’s funeral home was owned by his family until 2005. The Langone family continued to hold a prominent place in Boston for many years, with a few also holding office:
- Joseph A. Langone, Jr. (1896-1960) — State Senate 1932-1940, Boston Election Commissioner, son of Joseph Sr.
- Clementina Pota Langone (1896-1964) — longtime volunteer member of Board of Americanization and Naturalization, Vice Chairman Democratic State Committee, member of Guild of Home for Italian Children, wife of Joseph Jr.
- Joseph A. Langone III (1917-2002) — Massachusetts Governor's Council 1976-1990, State Representative 1970-1974, State Senate 1976, son of Joseph Jr. and Clementina
- Frederick C. Langone (1921-2001) — Boston City Council member 1961, 1964-1971, 1973-1983; son of Joseph Jr. and Clementina
For a list of sources consulted, please see this page.
For more information about Sacco & Vanzetti’s death and wake, check out this recent BPL blog post, "The Long Wake of Sacco & Vanzetti."
To learn how to research your Italian ancestors, check out the BPL’s genealogy research guide and our upcoming online class, Genealogy: Researching Your Italian Ancestors.
Books related to Italians and Italian Americans in Boston.
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