CT state Rep. Jack Hennessy, a US Army Ranger, massage therapist and FedEx driver, dies at 73 - Hartford Courant

[Christopher Keating]

Former state Rep. Jack Hennessy, a veteran lawmaker who served 18 years at the state Capitol, has died at 73.

A longtime Bridgeport Democrat, Hennessy became involved in important debates on vaccines, which were a hot issue at the Capitol even before the coronavirus pandemic.

Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim called for flags to be flown at half-staff on Monday to honor Hennessy’s memory.

“As a veteran himself, Hennessy will be remembered for his work championing benefits and care for our men and women in uniform,” Ganim said. “Today, we remember and honor Jack for his public service.”

House Majority Leader Jason Rojas of East Hartford said he was serving as the House chairman of the planning and development committee when he got to know Hennessy closely on contentious issues.

“There were plenty of moments where we would agree and disagree,” Rojas recalled. “What remained constant after every debate was our sense of collegiality and respect for each other as people first and legislators second. He led with a quiet passion for the issues he cared about, never losing sight of what was most important: the well-being of his constituents and the people of the state.”

With a multifaceted background, Hennessy had knowledge on multiple topics. A graduate of Boston College with a degree in English literature, Hennessy was a licensed massage therapist who also worked for 32 years as a driver for FedEx and sometimes arrived at the Capitol wearing a company shirt. He was also a U.S. Army Ranger and paratrooper who served in the 1970s after college.

He lost a primary in Bridgeport in August 2022 by only two votes, but he leveled allegations of absentee ballot fraud. A judge ordered a new primary, but Hennessy lost again. He then lost in the general election as a candidate of the union-backed Working Families Party.

“Jack’s enduring legacy of service to our country, the state of Connecticut, and the city of Bridgeport is indicative of his commitment and passion in serving the greater good,” said state Sen. Herron Gaston of Bridgeport. “Our community is brighter today because of his good work. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family, loved ones, and friends during this unimaginable time of grief.”

Vaccines

In early 2020, Hennessy was involved in a highly controversial bill regarding vaccines and religious exemptions as a member of the public health committee.

The legislature advanced a bill that would prohibit parents in the future from citing religious beliefs as a reason not to vaccinate their school-age children but agreed to grandfather in all children in public and private schools who had held religious exemptions from vaccination.

The amended bill passed by a narrow 14-11 vote in the legislature’s public health committee after an extended debate on what had become one of the most controversial issues at the state Capitol and had drawn considerable protest. The original bill would have required all students to be up-to-date on their vaccines, including the estimated 7,800 students who receive religious exemptions.

Hennessy was a deputy House Speaker in 2020 when he rallied protesters outside the Capitol and said he opposed grandfathering the children who already have the exemption. Protesters said grandfathering would not help any children in the future who were not yet in school or were not yet born.

Hours after the protest, at the committee meeting, Hennessy asked, “What is the rush? The data is flawed. … Grandfathering is a gratuitous effort to legitimize this bill that cannot be legitimized.”

After years of failed attempts, the legislature in April 2021 voted to end the religious exemption for required school vaccines in public and private schools but passed a compromise that would allow students who have existing exemptions to keep them. Gov. Ned Lamont eventually signed the bill into law.

Police accountability

In another debate, Hennessy spoke out regarding the police accountability bill following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. One of the biggest sticking points was qualified immunity, a legal principal to allow civil lawsuits against police officers and municipalities in cases of police shootings, officer misconduct, and abuse of power. Republicans, Democrats, and police officers disagreed over the precise ramifications of the change in the law, but efforts to remove the provision failed.

The House eventually passed the bill by an 86-58 vote after seven hours of discussion with Hennessy voting in favor.

Hennessy said a Republican amendment to remove section 41 of the bill on qualified immunity was “a crime against humanity,” “breathtaking,” and “most tragic.”

Addressing his colleagues on the House floor, Hennessy said, “I would suggest this will be one of the most important votes you will ever take. … It does take courage to take an unpopular stand.”

The bill was eventually also passed by the state Senate and signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont.

In Bridgeport, Hennessy was a major supporter of John Gomes, an upstart Democrat who battled in four different elections in a highly disputed race against Ganim. Like in Hennessy’s case regarding allegations of absentee ballot fraud in 2022, a judge ordered a new election. With various primaries, the voters cast ballots four different times before Ganim was declared the official winner.

Former state Rep. Jack Hennessy was a strong supporter of Bridgeport mayoral challenger John Gomes as they both ran in campaigns where a judge ordered a new primary after allegations of absentee ballot fraud in Bridgeport. Here, they are shown as Gomes speaks to reporters at his campaign headquarters about the 2023 Bridgeport Democratic primary. Hennessy is at the right in a green shirt. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)

Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com

Originally Published: December 10, 2024 at 5:55 AM EST