Kenneth Hutchins


Kenneth Gordon Hutchins Jr. was an American law enforcement officer who served as chief of police of Northborough, Massachusetts from 1980 to 2003. A member of the [Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints], he served as president of the church's Florida Tampa Mission and as president of the Boston Massachusetts Temple.

Early life and education

Hutchins was born April 5, 1941, in Norwood, Massachusetts, and graduated from Walpole High School. He served in the United States Navy aboard the USS Cassin Young. After he and his wife joined the LDS Church, he enrolled at Brigham Young University and received degrees in criminal justice and political science.

Law enforcement career

Hutchins served as a law enforcement officer in Utah, Colorado, and Massachusetts, and served as chief of police in Northborough for 23 years before retiring in 2003. According to his obituary, while serving as chief he established a multi-community SWAT team, graduated from the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and led the Northborough Police Department to become one of the first small-town departments in the United States to receive national accreditation. Community Advocate reported that local officials and the sitting chief described him as a forward-thinking and innovative leader and credited him with programs such as community policing initiatives and school resource officers in Northborough.

LDS Church service

In the LDS Church, Hutchins served in local leadership roles including bishop and stake president. He had previously served as a counselor to Mitt Romney in the stake presidency in the Boston area.
In 2003, Hutchins was called to serve as president of the Florida Tampa Mission. In 2006, he was called as president of the Boston Massachusetts Temple, with his wife, Priscilla, serving as temple matron.

2012 Republican National Convention

Hutchins gave the opening invocation at the 2012 Republican National Convention on the night Romney accepted the nomination as the Republican candidate for president of the United States. At the time, he was recovering from chemotherapy and had active lymphoma at the time.

Death

After a 20-year battle with various cancers, Hutchins died at his home in Northborough, Massachusetts, on July 2, 2021.