Richard L. Breault
1931 – 2009

AUBURN — Richard L. Breault, 78, a long-time resident of the Washington, D.C. area, died on Aug. 11. He made his home in McLean, Va., and Cundy’s Harbor.

He joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1964 as associate director of the Task Force on Economic Growth and Opportunity and rose through the management ranks of the large business organization, until he retired at the end of 1991. For a number of years prior to retiring, he served as the organization’s senior vice president for policy, managing a large staff responsible not only for developing the organization’s positions on national and international issues, but also implementing them through direct lobbying and grass-roots action.

He was a budget officer with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from 1958 to 1964. In 1957 and 1958, he served as a legislative assistant to former U.S. Sen. Frederick G. Payne of Maine. Prior to that he served for two years as an enlisted man in the U.S. Army.

He was a native of Lewiston. He received a bachelor’s degree in history from Bates College in 1953, graduating with magna cum laude honors and election to Phi Beta Kappa. He first came to Washington that year to earn a master’s degree from the School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University in 1954. In 1954 and 1955, he did post-graduate studies at l’Institut National d’Etudes Politiques of the University of Paris under a French government grant, combined with a Fulbright Travel Grant.

He leaves a sister, Claire Levesque of Cundy’s Harbor; two nieces, Carrie Lacasse and Michelle Allen of Lewiston; as well as three grandnieces and a grandnephew.

He was predeceased by his parents, Lucien and Laurence (Cote) Breault; and a brother in-law, Ronald G. Levesque.

Copy the Story Link