Funeral arrangements were not immediately known.

Bud Cianchette

Known for both his interests in the Standardbred and construction industries, Mr. Cianchette became involved in the Standardbred business in 1962. He operated a breeding farm in Pittsfield, Maine from 1973 through 1990, and bred and raced horses such as Chinbro Knoxvel, the winner of the 2-year-old colt division of the Royal Stallion Stakes in 1988.

Mr. Cianchette was elected to the U.S. Trotting Association Board of Directors in 1994 and served until 2007.

He was very active with several racing-related organizations. He served on the Maine Harness Racing Commission from 1970 to 1975 and was its chairman from 1973 to 1975. During his time as chairman he was instrumental in developing the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes. He also served as president of the Maine Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association from 1986 through 1989. He was also at one time associated with a group that operated Bangor Raceway.

He was elected to the New England Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2005, received the Maine Harness Horsemen's Association Distinguished Citizen Award in 1980, was presented Maine's Distinguished Citizen Award in 1988, and was named Maine Business Leader of the Year by the Maine Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1990.

The “Chinbro” name given to many of his horses stands for “Cianchette Brothers,” reflective of his family’s construction business, founded in 1949 and now known as the Cianbro Companies, of which the flagship company, Cianbro Corporation, specializes in heavy construction projects. The Cianbro Companies have offices in Maine, Connecticut and Maryland, and record $450 million in sales, annually.

Mr. Cianchette served a term as president of Associated General Contractors, and presided at the Association’s presentation of its 1981 Man of the Year Award to President Ronald Reagan. He was also active in politics, having served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2004 along with his son Peter, who ran unsuccessfully for governor of Maine in 2002 and later served one year as the U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica before returning to work for Cianbro in 2009.

Mr. Cianchette and his wife, Priscilla, were the parents of five children.