Francis Quirico was born in Pittsfield on February 18, 1911. He obtained his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law with high honors in 1932. During that time, he worked in a cabinetmaking shop to support himself. After law school, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps and served in World War II, rising to the level of captain before returning to Pittsfield to serve as the city's solicitor in 1948.
In 1956, Justice Quirico was appointed to the Superior Court, where he served for thirteen years until Governor Francis Sargent appointed him to the Supreme Judicial Court in 1969. Justice Quirico served on the Supreme Judicial Court from 1969 until 1981, when he reached the mandatory retirement age. He received the Award for Distinguished Judicial Service in 1980 from the Boston Bar Association. Between 1986 and 1987, Justice Quirico served as a recall justice for the Appeals Court. He passed away on October 11, 1999.
The Supreme Judicial Court's Memorial to Justice Quirico may be found at 433 Mass. 1303 (2000).