Walter Silveira Sr. 1901-1988
The longest serving selectman in the town’s history and in Massachusetts history, Silveira was first elected following the death of Thomas W. Whitfield in 1944 and continued in office for forty-four years until his death in 1988. He was the first Fairhaven selectman of Portuguese descent. An accountant and later manager for a local Ford Motors sales agency, he had served three years as the town auditor when he won his Selectman seat in a special election held on July 19, 1944. The auditorium at Elizabeth I Hastings Middle School is named in his memory. The son of Filbert Silveira Sr. and Mary Gracia, he married Mary Farrelly. Their son Walter Silveira Jr. served as a state representative from 1980 to 1984.
