Allan Robert McKinnon is a former Massachusetts politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts State Senate from 1971 to 1985, Deputy Secretary of Transportation from 1985 to 1988, and Chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike

Massachusetts Turnpike

The Massachusetts Turnpike is the easternmost stretch of Interstate 90. The Turnpike begins at the western border of Massachusetts in West Stockbridge connecting with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway...

 Authority from 1988 to 1996.

After graduating from Tufts in 1955, McKinnon taught history and government in Weymouth

Weymouth, Massachusetts

The Town of Weymouth is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, Weymouth had a total population of 53,743. Despite its city status, it is formally known as the Town of Weymouth...

 and Holbrook, Massachusetts

Holbrook, Massachusetts

Holbrook is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2010 census, the town population was 10,791.- History :Before European settlement, the area now known as Holbrook, Massachusetts, like all of New England, had long been inhabited by Algonquian-speaking peoples.Holbrook was...

. He served as Weymouth's Public Works Commissioner from 1958 to 1963 and was a member of the town's Board of Assessors from 1963 to 1975.

McKinnon was the State Senator from the Norfolk and Plymouth District from 1971 to 1985. He was known as a political opponent of Senate President William M. Bulger

William M. Bulger

William Michael "Billy" Bulger is a retired American Democratic Party politician, lawyer, and educator from South Boston, Massachusetts, who for many years was President of the Massachusetts Senate and president of the University of Massachusetts...

, an opponent of the death penalty, and a supporter of forced busing in Boston. McKinnon decided not to run for reelection in 1984 and was appointed Deputy Secretary of Transportation.

In 1987 he was appointed by Governor Michael Dukakis

Michael Dukakis

Michael Stanley Dukakis served as the 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts from 1975–1979 and from 1983–1991, and was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. He was born to Greek immigrants in Brookline, Massachusetts, also the birthplace of John F. Kennedy, and was the longest serving...

 to serve as Chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. As Turnpike Chairman, he oversaw repairs to the Callahan

Callahan Tunnel

The Callahan Tunnel, officially the Lieutenant William F. Callahan Tunnel is one of four tunnels beneath Boston Harbor in Boston, Massachusetts. It carries motor vehicles from the North End to Logan International Airport and Route 1A in East Boston...

 and Sumner

Sumner Tunnel

The Sumner Tunnel is a road tunnel in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. It carries traffic under Boston Harbor in one direction, from Logan International Airport and Route 1A in East Boston. The tunnel originally deposited traffic at the west side of the North End but with the completion of the Big Dig,...

 tunnels, increased the amount of Jersey barrier

Jersey barrier

A Jersey barrier or Jersey wall is a modular concrete barrier employed to separate lanes of traffic. It is designed to both minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing crossover in the case of head-on accidents....

s on state highways, and established highway litter patrols and wildflower programs. During his tenure, Massachusetts had the fewest fatalities on major turnpikes in the United States.