Paul Andrew Dever (January 15, 1903April 11, 1958) was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served as the 58th Governor of Massachusetts and was its youngest-ever Attorney General. Among his notable accomplishments was the construction of Boston’s circumferential highway Route 128, then called "Dever’s Folley," which was later expanded to Interstate 95, one of the most used national highways. Early life Paul Dever was born in Boston, Massachusetts to two Irish immigrants, Joseph and Anna MacAlevy Dever. His father died when he was eight, and he took odd jobs as a youth to help the family make ends meet. He attended Boston public schools, including Boston Latin School. He attended Northeastern University for a time, but then transferred to Boston University, from whose law school he graduated with an LL.B. in 1926 with high honors. He was admitted to the bar, and joined the practice of Harvey Boutwell, a blind attorney whose need to have papers read aloud furthered Dever's oratorical skills. He served as the grand knight of the Mt. Pleasant Council of the Knights of Columbus. He was also the godfather to one of State Deputy Thomas J. Spring's children. He appointed Spring to a judgeship in Roxbury District Court. Early political career Dever was long interested in politics, having observed his uncle John, a leading figure in Massachusetts Democratic Party politics. He served for some time as an aide to Senator David I. Walsh, one of the state's most prominent Democratic politicians. Dever was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 3rd Middlesex district in 1928, and served from 1929 to 1935 in a district representing Cambridge that had historically been Republican. In 1934 Dever was elected Attorney General, and was at age 31 the youngest to hold that office. Among his claimed successes were a 95% conviction rate, and the closure of a significant number of lenders engaging in usurious lending practices. He also identified under- or mis-utilized trust funds, including one which was eventually used for construction of the Hatch Shell on Boston's Charles River Esplanade. In 1940, he challenged the popular incumbent Governor Leverett Saltonstall for his seat, losing by a margin of 0.3%. World War II In 1942, Dever enlisted in the United States Navy for World War II. He was subsequently commissioned a lieutenant commander, and served in the North Atlantic, European and African Sectors until his discharge