Jerry Carmen was a serious participant in NH enterprise and politics
Gerald P. Carmen died in early September, at age 93. For these too younger to recollect him, or who’ve moved to New Hampshire since Jerry Carmen was in his heyday, the importance of his passing is unknown. Throughout his time, nonetheless, Carmen was a serious participant.
A Manchester native, Carmen attended UNH and returned to Manchester to open a automobile restore, tire gross sales and automotive enterprise, often known as Automotive-Go House and Auto Facilities, initially on Canal Avenue, after which on Elm Avenue after Canal was widened and made 4 lanes. He later expanded to places throughout southern New Hampshire.
After I joined our regulation agency, I used to be assigned the Automotive-Go information, and I received to know Jerry Carmen as a tricky shopper, who might discount exhausting, however then would talk about politics and public coverage on an mental foundation whereas using house from the powerful negotiations.
In the course of the Fifties, Carmen, together with Kimon Zachos, Richard Morse and David Nixon, was one of many “younger bucks” of Republican politics in Manchester and the state. Carmen ran for alderman and mayor, shedding each places of work, however made many connections. When the others migrated to the Walter Peterson “average” facet of the social gathering, Carmen turned to the extra conservative wing, supporting Meldrim Thomson when he defeated Peterson within the 1972 main and went on the turn out to be governor.
When Thomson later supported Carmen for chairman of the Republican State Committee, and he was elected, Carmen named me counsel to the state committee, which gave me an inside take a look at the course of the social gathering, number of candidates and technique. For a younger lawyer, this was heady stuff. Seeing the within discussions of recruitment, and personal opinions of GOP workplace holders, demonstrated the sensible facet of politics, to say the least, and Carmen’s dedication and exhausting work had been apparent.
On the state conference in 1976, Carmen named me and a state consultant because the parliamentarians. He made a ruling from the chair that those that got here after a sure hour couldn’t vote, and that ruling was challenged by these affected, who thought he had accomplished so since they had been from part of the state extra liberal than he. We searched the principles and will discover no help for his motion, and so dominated.
He accepted the ruling with out remark, however later I learn within the Union Chief that another person, W. Stephen Thayer, had been named counsel to the state committee. Jerry by no means commented on it to me once more, and I continued to characterize his companies! Thayer went on to work with Carmen in presidential campaigns and have become U.S. Legal professional and a NH Supreme Court docket justice.
In 1980, Carmen supported Ronald Reagan for president, and reportedly was a part of the planning within the well-known “I paid for this microphone, Mr. Inexperienced” alternate with the Bush supporters in Nashua, which was a turning level. Named New England chairman for Reagan, Carmen labored tirelessly for his candidate who, when president-elect, named Carmen director of the Normal Companies Administration, the company liable for all authorities autos, services and help. About the identical time, we helped Carmen promote his companies.
It was fascinating serving to Jerry fill out the varieties he wanted to undergo help his nomination, and Invoice Inexperienced and I spent hours with him serving to. He was confirmed to the job, heading an company he might by no means have heard of previous to being named.
As a lobbyist in these days for the movement image business, as a part of my observe, I used to be invited to a fundraiser on Capitol Hill for Gov. John H. Sununu. I received there with one of many heads of the shopper in a big automobile with a driver, simply as Jerry Carmen was arriving within the smallest Chevy subcompact, since he assigned himself the smallest car within the GSA fleet, for example to different workers.
We laughed at his comment that his lawyer got here within the limo, and he got here within the Vega. He acquired accolades for streamlining the company and saving the federal government cash as a tricky negotiator.
After a number of years within the GSA job, Reagan named Carmen ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva. Those that knew Jerry didn’t consider him as a diplomat. Once more, Invoice Inexperienced and I spent hours with him, filling out the supporting documentation for his appointment to be thought-about by the Senate.
After his affirmation to the job, Carmen did effectively in Geneva, taking part in a big half within the assembly between Reagan and Gorbachev that resulted in agreements that led to the unraveling of the Soviet Union.
Retiring to New Hampshire and Washington after public service, Carmen began a authorities relations agency He lived within the Seacoast quietly till his loss of life.
Jerry Carmen, like so many NH individuals, had a big life and made many contributions to his state and nation, not with out controversy. Nonetheless, his passing and accomplishments mustn’t go with out discover. I’m glad I knew him.
Brad Prepare dinner is a Manchester lawyer. The views expressed on this column are his personal. He may be reached at bradfordcook01@gmail.com.
