Former Gov. Edward D. “Ed” DiPrete was a popular Republican politician in a predominantly Democratic state. He rose from the ranks of the Cranston School Committee to become mayor of the city and then a three-term governor. He was beloved family man and a respected businessman. He was also a public servant who fell far from grace.

DiPrete, who died at home last week at the age of 91, was the first and only Rhode Island governor ever to be sent to prison. He was sentenced after he left office when he pleaded guilty to charges of bribery, extortion and racketeering related to his tenure as governor. One of his sons, Dennis, who did not hold public office, faced charges with his father. Those charges were dropped as part of the plea-bargaining process.

Last week, news of his death evoked memories as DiPrete’s friends and former colleagues paused to share recollections of the man they knew. They remembered a quiet businessman who valued family and friends and who resonated with his fellow Rhode Islanders with his “everyman” style.

“He was a citizen politician,” said Robert Murray, a Cranston lawyer, veteran of local GOP politics and former top staff member for DiPrete – both in City Hall and at the State House. “He was a local businessman who had seven children and he grew up in his family’s real estate business,” Murray said. “He never forgot his roots … he was sincere in wanting to make things better.”

Earl J. “Buddy” Croft III worked for the City of Cranston when DiPrete was mayor, and Croft later supported his campaigns for governor. He described DiPrete as a “low-key” man who was usually gentlemanly in his manner.

“Ed entered public life as a quiet, reserved, thoughtful and unassuming family man that ran his family insurance business and then embarked upon an extraordinary public career as a member of the Cranston School Committee, City Council, mayor and governor,” Croft said. “He had numerous accomplishments and many, many happy moments along the way … and through (it) all he remained the same person that never stopped loving his hometown of Cranston and his fellow Rhode Islanders.”

Croft – whose career has included positions in the state Family Court system and most recently as head of the Rhode Island Bridge and Turnpike Authority before his retirement in 2020 – said that he remained in contact with DiPrete through the years.

“After public life, he cared for his beloved (wife) Pat during her health challenges and relished his time with his children, grandchildren, extended family and lifelong friends.” Croft said.

“Ed was very much at peace in his later years and still had his fastball as we discussed local, state, national issues, sports and life in general,” Croft continued. “After a very public life Ed once again was that quiet, reserved, thoughtful and unassuming guy who was immensely proud of the life and family he and Pat experienced together. It was a privilege for me to be a lifelong friend of Ed, and I will miss him dearly.”

J.R. Pagliarini of Warwick, who has held a long list of top positions in the public and private sectors, said his interest in public service started decades ago when he was a young intern in Cranston City Hall under then-Mayor DiPrete.

Currently the Rhode Island business development executive for Machado Consulting, a technical support and cybersecurity company, Pagliarini’s public positions have included chief of staff for the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, chief of staff to former Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and deputy chief of staff to former Gov. Donald Carcieri.

He said his relationship with DiPrete started through family ties – his grandfather and DiPrete’s father were on the same ship when they immigrated to the United States from Italy. “The DiPretes and the Pagliarinis were always intertwined,” he said.

Pagliarini said DiPrete, a graduate of Holy Cross College in Worcester, was often the “smartest person in the room” – an assessment that Murray and Croft agreed with.

“He was very analytical; he had a mechanical way of thinking,” Pagliarini said. “He wasn’t a visionary, but wanted things run the right way.”

Murray and Pagliarini said that DiPrete worked hard to run government like a business and that his accomplishments were many. His tenure was marked by a strong economic time for the state. He supported local education and also made great strides in preserving open space in Rhode Island.

Pagliarini said DiPrete jump-started recycling efforts in the state and pushed for the renovation of Scarborough Beach facilities.

Murray said that another of DiPrete’s strengths was his ability to “reach across the aisle” and work with all officials, Republican or not. “I learned by watching him,” Murray said, adding that he thinks DiPrete found peace in his life after leaving politics and his legal problems behind.

“He started his public life based on a private life of faith and family,” Murray said. “He and his wonderful wife, Pat, raised a beautiful family. He had much to celebrate in his life and I think he did ... when you look at the measuring stick of his career, he did a lot of positive things.”

Said Pagliarini, “Ed DiPrete had an 80% popularity rating in 1987, and it’s been a long time since we’ve seen anything like that.” (The last time the state had a Republican governor was in the early 2000s during the two terms of Gov. Donald Carcieri.)

He said that in some ways, DiPrete represents a “Shakespearean tragedy” in the state’s political history. “There was hope and optimism because he was the change we needed,” Pagliarini said. “If people can look past any misdeeds, I think they will find that his accomplishments rival those of any governor since.”