The first executive director of the Rhode Island Lottery, Peter J. O Connell, died at his home in North Scituate on Wednesday, just a few weeks shy of his 100th birthday, his family said.
O Connell became director of The Lot after a 25-year career with the Rhode Island State Police, where he retired as a major and also served as acting director. He was inducted into the Rhode Island Criminal Justice Hall of Fame in 2014.
Tapped to head the lottery by then-Gov. Philip Noel in 1974, O Connell reluctantly accepted and held the post until retiring in 1993. The state agency s headquarters in Cranston is named for him.