October 23, 2014
In Memoriam: Fernand J. St. Germain ’48 & ’65Hon.; 14-term U.S. congressman
U.S. Rep. Fernand J. St. Germain ’48 & ’65Hon., who represented Rhode Island’s First Congressional District as a United States representative from 1961 to 1989, died Aug. 16 at his summer home in Newport, R.I.
Rep. St. Germain served in the U.S. Army from 1949 to 1952 and graduated from Boston University Law School in 1955. Before entering the U.S. House of Representatives, the Democrat served in the Rhode Island General Assembly as a representative from 1952 to 1961 and worked as an attorney for Amica Insurance Company.
After his first election to the U.S. House, Rep. St. Germain progressively built a career on the Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs, eventually becoming its chair. He became an expert in banks, thrift institutions, and credit unions.
In a move that defined his political career, Rep. St. Germain joined with then-U.S. Sen. Jake Garn (R-Utah) in the early 1980s to craft legislation to help further deregulate savings and loan businesses. Many of those businesses were losing money at the time because of strict federal restraints on the loans they made and the interest rates they paid to depositors.
Rep. St. Germain earned his undergraduate degree in social science and was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree by the College in 1965.
Rep. St. Germain was the husband of the late Rachel Mary O’Neill. He is survived by his daughters, Laurene Sorensen and Lisette Saint Germain, and his sister, Claire Velardi.
A memorial Mass was celebrated at St. Mary’s Church, Newport.
