Charles Edward Shannon

Education

Born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Shannon attended Saint Mary"s Elementary School and Saint Mary"s High School. He graduated with a Bachelor of Surgery from Northeastern University in Boston.

Career

He represented the Second Middlesex district from 1991 until his death in 2005, first as a Republican and later as a Democrat. A resident of Winchester, Massachusetts, Shannon served as a Lexington policeman and a Winchester town official prior to serving in the state legislature. He served as a police officer for 20 years in Lexington, Massachusetts until a heart attack led him to be medically retired from the force.

He moved to Winchester in 1982.

He eventually was elected and served as chairman of the Winchester Board of Assessors from 1989 until 1990. He was elected as a Republican for the Massachusetts Senate, unseating 6 term Democratic incumbent Salvatore Albano, and was sworn in January 1991.

In December 1996 he announced a switch to the Democratic Party, reversing an earlier switch. He had been a Democrat prior to serving in the Senate.

In December 2004, shortly after election to an eighth term, Shannon was diagnosed with leukemia.

He had previously battled cancer in 1990 and 2002. In February 2005 he received a bone marrow transplant. Antirejection drugs he took after the transplant caused an averse reaction, which led to his death from heart failure.

He died April 5, 2005, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Achievements

• He was cited and received awards for heroism twice.

Politics

Democratic Party, Republican Party.