Leo L. Laughlin (September 10, 1910 – April 13, 1997) was an American law enforcement officer and businessman who worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and served as Massachusetts' Commissioner of Public Safety.
[1] He was designated SAC of Providence on July 17, 1945, and remained there until that fall when J. Edgar Hoover loaned him and Joseph Carroll to the War Assets Administration.
Although the assignment was to be temporary, he remained with the WAA until 1947, as the head of the administration, Robert McGowan Littlejohn refused to let Laughlin and Carroll return to the FBI until after Hoover got the White House to intervene.
In the role, Laughlin was involved in the investigations of Judith Coplon, William Remington, and Harry Dexter White.
[1][3][4] In March 1962, Massachusetts Governor John A. Volpe announced that Laughlin was his choice to become the next Commissioner of the Boston Police Department.
[6] On September 29, 1965, suspended Commissioner of Public Safety Frank S. Giles resigned and Governor John A. Volpe appointed Laughlin to replace him.
Among the reported issues with Laughlin's leadership were his refusal to accept advice from his staff and low morale among members of the Massachusetts State Police.
[12] Laughlin resigned as Commissioner of Public Safety effective August 31, 1969, to become executive director of 100 Club, a charitable organization that provides aid to the widows and children of police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty.
[14] His first cousin, James M. Quigley, was a United States representative from Pennsylvania and Assistant Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.