Ely was active in the state Democratic Party , and was in 1922 put forward as a candidate for Governor of Massachusetts ; he placed a distant third in the primary , which was won by John " Honey Fitz " Fitzgerald . In 1924 he was delegate to the national Democratic convention , where he supported the Progressive Al Smith . In 1926 he was tapped by the party leadership as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor , but lost the primary in an unusual quirk . His primary opponent , Harry Dooley , had been asked to withdraw so that the party could present an ethnically diverse and geographically balanced ticket , but his name remained on the ballot , and he ended up winning the nomination because of the support of Irish Americans . Dooley offered to surrender the nomination in favor of Ely , but the latter refused , believing the means to be an embarrassment . Ely again supported Smith at the 1928 Democratic National Convention
1928 Democratic National Convention
1928 Democratic National Convention
Joseph B. Ely