Introduction

Mayor Beaulieu served two non-consecutive terms. There are 16 cubic feet of records for his term, 1982-1983, and 8 cubic feet of material for his term, 1988-1989.

Biographical Note

Mayor Emile Beaulieu
Photograph courtesy of the
Manchester Union Leader

Emile D. Beaulieu was born in Nashua, New Hampshire on April 2, 1931, the son of Emile Beaulieu Sr. and the former Albina Claveau. A businessman, he established Beaulieu Floor Coverings, Inc and was its president. A twenty-year member of the New Hampshire National Guard, Beaulieu served during the Korean and Berlin crises.

Beaulieu's political career began with his election to the New Hampshire General Court in 1973. In 1974 he was elected Welfare Commissioner, a position he held until his election as mayor in 1981.

Beaulieu's community involvement over the years was extensive. He was a member of the American Legion Post 43, the National Rifle Association and New Hampshire Right to Life. He was founder and was a past president of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Manchester. Mayor Beaulieu served on the board of directors of the State Employment Training Council and Child Health Services.

Mayor Beaulieu was married to Pauline C. Leclerc for 42 years and together they had seven children: Diane, Jane, Lenny, Susan, Paul, Peter, and Brenda. Pauline passed away in 1994. He later married the former Laurette Fournier.

A monument dedicated to his public service was placed on the Hands Across the Merrimack pedestrian bridge in June 2012. Mayor Beaulieu passed away on December 30, 2016.

Scope and Content

Emile Beaulieu's two terms of office are well represented in the archives. During his first administration, there are files containing information on the Amoskeag Millyard Urban Renewal Project, the history of the Merci Box Car and the development of Arms Park and Bass Island. Riverfest was revitalized during Beaulieu's tenure.

During the latter part of the 1980s, Mayor Beaulieu visited Neustadt en de Weinstrasses in Germany and Taichung in Taiwan, establishing sister city relationships between these two cities and Manchester.

The files of his second term in office contain information on environmental protection, Hesser College and the Sundial Center, the Latin American Cultural and Social Center and a 1989 School Department report on Manchester education in the next decade. In 1989, Mayor Beaulieu gave his approval to the establishment of Manchester Community Television.

Arrangement

The Beaulieu papers are arranged alphabetically by subject and then chronologically within each folder.

Administrative Information

The collection was processed by archivist Sally Stephensen in 2000 with biographical information provided by Kathie Gardner.

Access

The records are open for research without restrictions under the conditions of the Archives' access policy. Records may be copied for use in administrative, scholarly or personal research. Researchers are responsible for obtaining copyright permission to use the material from the archivist.

Citation

The records of Emile D. Beaulieu, Office of the Mayor, City of Manchester, New Hampshire.
Accession 2000.19 (1982-1983) and Accession 2000.21 (1988-1989)

Topics

• Coalition of Northeast Municipalities
• Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• Department Profiles
• Downtown Profiles
• Manchester Housing Authority: Affordable Housing
• Oversight Task Force on Homelessness
• National League of Cities
• Wall Street Towers