Mayor of Boston
The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a mayor to a four-year term; there are no term limits. The mayor's office is in Boston City Hall, in Government Center.
| Mayor of Boston | |
|---|---|
Seal of Boston | |
| Style | His/Her Honor |
| Type | Chief executive |
| Member of | Board of Aldermen (1822-1854) |
| Residence | None official |
| Seat | Boston City Hall |
| Nominator | Non-partisan nominating petition |
| Appointer | Popular vote |
| Term length | Four years |
| Constituting instrument | Boston City Charter |
| Precursor | Boston Board of Selectmen |
| Formation | Original Post: 1822 Current form: 1909 |
| First holder | John Phillips |
| Salary | $199,000 (2018) [1] |
| Website | www |
The current mayor of Boston is Michelle Wu.
History
In Massachusetts, a town is typically governed by a town meeting, with a board of selectmen handling regular business. Boston was the first community in Massachusetts to receive a city charter, which was granted in 1822.[2] Under the terms of the new charter, the mayor was elected annually. In June 1895, the charter was amended, and the mayor's term was increased to two years.[3]
In 1909, the Republican-controlled state legislature enacted strong-mayor charter changes it hoped would dampen the rising power of Democratic Irish Americans.[4] Adopted by public vote in the November 1909 general election, changes included extending the mayoral term to four years, and making the post formally non-partisan.[5] The reforms did not work; the first mayor elected under the new charter was Democrat John F. Fitzgerald ("Honey Fitz"), and every mayor since Republican Malcolm Nichols (1926–1930) has been known to be a Democrat.
In a bid to temper the rising power of James Michael Curley, the state legislature in 1918 passed legislation barring the Mayor of Boston from serving consecutive terms in office;[6] Curley was prevented from running for re-election twice by this law (November 1925 and November 1933). The law was repealed in 1939,[7] after Curley's political career appeared to be in decline.[8]
Another charter change was enacted in 1949, partly in response to Curley's fourth term (1946–1950), during which he served prison time for crimes committed in an earlier term. Changes included adding a preliminary election to narrow the field to two mayoral candidates in advance of the general election, changing the Boston City Council from having 22 members (one from each city ward) to having nine members (elected at-large), and giving the council ability to override some mayoral vetoes.[9] These changes went into effect in 1951, resulting in the first term of John B. Hynes being shortened to two years.
From 1951 through 1991, Boston mayoral elections were held the year before presidential elections (e.g. mayoral election in 1951, presidential election in 1952). Starting in 1993, due to the election held following Raymond Flynn's appointment as United States Ambassador to the Holy See, Boston mayoral elections are held the year following presidential elections (e.g. presidential election in 1992, mayoral election in 1993).
Salary
In June 2018, the Council voted to increase the salary of the mayor to $207,000, effective after the mayoral election of November 2021 (term starting in January 2022); this increased the salary of councillors to $103,500, effective after the council elections of November 2019 (terms starting in January 2020). In October 2022, the Council voted to increase the salary of the mayor to $250,000. [10][1]
List
There is no official count of Boston's mayors. The City of Boston does not number its mayors[11] and numbering has been inconsistent over time. For example, Thomas Menino was referred to as the 47th mayor at the time he was sworn in,[12] yet his successor, Marty Walsh, was identified as the 54th.[13] The Walsh administration cited Wikipedia for its use of 54.[13] That numbering scheme counted persons who served as elected mayors and counted those who served non-consecutive terms more than once; James M. Curley served four non-consecutive terms and was counted four times.[13][a] Kim Janey, who became acting mayor in March 2021, refers to herself as the 55th mayor.[14]
Use of ( ) in the below table denotes non-consecutive terms for a mayor.
| # | Mayor | Term | In office | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Terms won | Duration | ||||
| 1 | John Phillips | May 1, 1822 | May 1, 1823 | 1 | 1 year | Federalist | |
| 2 | Josiah Quincy III | May 1, 1823 | January 5, 1829 | 6 | 5 years, 8 months | Federalist | |
| 3 | Harrison G. Otis | January 5, 1829 | January 2, 1832 | 3 | 3 years | Federalist | |
| 4 | Charles Wells | January 2, 1832 | January 6, 1834 | 2 | 2 years | Whig | |
| 5 | Theodore Lyman | January 6, 1834 | January 4, 1836 | 2 | 2 years | Democratic | |
| 6 | Samuel T. Armstrong | January 4, 1836 | January 1, 1837 | 1 | 1 year | Whig | |
| 7 | Samuel A. Eliot | January 1, 1837 | January 6, 1840 | 3 | 3 years | Whig | |
| 8 | Jonathan Chapman | January 6, 1840 | January 2, 1843 | 3 | 3 years | Whig | |
| 9 | Martin Brimmer | January 2, 1843 | January 6, 1845 | 2 | 2 years | Whig | |
| — | William Parker | January 6, 1845 | February 27, 1845 | — | 2 months | Whig | |
| 10 | Thomas A. Davis | February 27, 1845 | November 22, 1845 | 1 | 9 months | Native AmericanKN | |
| — | Benson Leavitt | November 22, 1845 | December 11, 1845 | — | 1 month | Whig | |
| 11 | Josiah Quincy IV. | December 11, 1845 | January 1, 1849 | 3 | 3 years, 1 month | Whig | |
| 12 | John P. Bigelow | January 1, 1849 | January 5, 1852 | 3 | 3 years | Whig | |
| 13 | Benjamin Seaver | January 5, 1852 | January 2, 1854 | 2 | 2 years | Whig | |
| 14 | Jerome V. C. Smith | January 2, 1854 | January 7, 1856 | 2 | 2 years | AmericanKN | |
| 15 | Alexander H. Rice | January 7, 1856 | January 4, 1858 | 2 | 2 years | Republican | |
| 16 (1) | Frederic W. Lincoln Jr. | January 4, 1858 | January 7, 1861 | 3 | 3 years | Republican | |
| 17 | Joseph Wightman | January 7, 1861 | January 5, 1863 | 2 | 2 years | Democratic | |
| 18 (2) | Frederic W. Lincoln Jr. | January 5, 1863 | January 7, 1867 | 4 | 4 years | Republican | |
| 19 | Otis Norcross | January 7, 1867 | January 6, 1868 | 1 | 1 year | Republican | |
| 20 | Nathaniel B. Shurtleff | January 6, 1868 | January 2, 1871 | 3 | 3 years | Democratic | |
| 21 | William Gaston | January 2, 1871 | January 6, 1873 | 2 | 2 years | Democratic | |
| 22 (1) | Henry L. Pierce | January 6, 1873 | November 29, 1873 | 1 | 11 months | None | |
| — | Leonard R. Cutter | November 29, 1873 | January 5, 1874 | — | 1 month | Democratic | |
| 23 | Samuel C. Cobb | January 5, 1874 | January 1, 1877 | 3 | 3 years | None | |
| 24 (1) | Frederick O. Prince | January 1, 1877 | January 7, 1878 | 1 | 1 year | Democratic | |
| 25 (2) | Henry L. Pierce | January 7, 1878 | January 6, 1879 | 1 | 1 year | Republican | |
| 26 (2) | Frederick O. Prince | January 6, 1879 | January 2, 1882 | 3 | 3 years | Democratic | |
| 27 | Samuel A. Green | January 2, 1882 | January 1, 1883 | 1 | 1 year | Republican | |
| 28 | Albert Palmer | January 1, 1883 | January 7, 1884 | 1 | 1 year | Democratic | |
| 29 | Augustus P. Martin | January 7, 1884 | January 5, 1885 | 1 | 1 year | Republican | |
| 30 | Hugh O'Brien | January 5, 1885 | January 7, 1889 | 4 | 4 years | Democratic | |
| 31 (1) | Thomas N. Hart | January 7, 1889 | December 31, 1890 | 2 | 2 years | Republican | |
| 32 | Nathan Matthews Jr. | January 1, 1891 | January 7, 1895 | 4 | 4 years | Democratic | |
| 33 | Edwin Upton Curtis | January 7, 1895 | January 6, 1896 | 1 | 1 year | Republican | |
Mayoral term increased to two years. | |||||||
| 34 | Josiah Quincy | January 6, 1896 | January 1, 1900 | 2 | 4 years | Democratic | |
| 35 (2) | Thomas N. Hart | January 1, 1900 | January 6, 1902 | 1 | 2 years | Republican | |
| 36 | Patrick Collins | January 6, 1902 | September 13, 1905 | 2 | 3 years, 9 months | Democratic | |
| — | Daniel A. Whelton | September 15, 1905 | January 1, 1906 | — | 3 months | Democratic | |
| 37 (1) | John F. Fitzgerald | January 1, 1906 | January 6, 1908 | 1 | 2 years | Democratic | |
| 38 | George A. Hibbard | January 6, 1908 | February 7, 1910 | 1 | 2 years | Republican | |
Mayoral term increased to four years. | |||||||
| 39 (2) | John F. Fitzgerald | February 7, 1910 | February 2, 1914 | 1 | 4 years | Democratic | |
| 40 (1) | James M. Curley | February 2, 1914 | February 4, 1918 | 1 | 4 years | Democratic | |
| 41 | Andrew J. Peters | February 4, 1918 | February 6, 1922 | 1 | 4 years | Democratic | |
| 42 (2) | James M. Curley | February 6, 1922 | January 4, 1926 | 1 | 4 years | Democratic | |
| 43 | Malcolm Nichols | January 4, 1926 | January 6, 1930 | 1 | 4 years | Republican | |
| 44 (3) | James M. Curley | January 6, 1930 | January 1, 1934 | 1 | 4 years | Democratic | |
| 45 | Frederick Mansfield | January 1, 1934 | January 3, 1938 | 1 | 4 years | Democratic | |
| 46 | Maurice J. Tobin | January 3, 1938 | January 4, 1945 | 2 | 7 years | Democratic | |
| — | John E. Kerrigan | January 4, 1945 | January 7, 1946 | — | 1 year | Democratic | |
| 47 (4) | James M. Curley | January 7, 1946 | January 2, 1950 | 1 | 4 years | Democratic | |
| 48 | John B. Hynes | January 2, 1950 | January 4, 1960 | 3 | 10 years | Democratic | |
| 49 | John F. Collins | January 4, 1960 | January 1, 1968 | 2 | 8 years | Democratic | |
| 50 | Kevin White | January 1, 1968 | January 2, 1984 | 4 | 16 years | Democratic | |
| 51 | Raymond Flynn | January 2, 1984 | July 12, 1993 | 3 | 9 years, 6 months | Democratic | |
| 52 | Thomas Menino | July 12, 1993 | January 6, 2014 | 5 | 20 years, 6 months | Democratic | |
| 53 | Marty Walsh | January 6, 2014 | March 22, 2021 | 2 | 7 years, 2 months | Democratic | |
| — | Kim Janey | March 22, 2021 | November 16, 2021 | — | 8 months | Democratic | |
| 54 | Michelle Wu | November 16, 2021 | Incumbent | 1 | 1 year, 2 months | Democratic | |
Mayors serving non-consecutive terms. | |||||||
| M | Frederic W. Lincoln Jr. | January 4, 1858 | January 7, 1867 | 7 | 7 years | Republican | |
| M | Henry L. Pierce | January 6, 1873 | January 6, 1879 | 2 | 1 year, 11 months | Republican | |
| M | Frederick O. Prince | January 1, 1877 | January 2, 1882 | 4 | 4 years | Democratic | |
| M | Thomas N. Hart | January 7, 1889 | January 7, 1902 | 3 | 4 years | Republican | |
| M | John F. Fitzgerald | January 5, 1906 | February 2, 1914 | 2 | 6 years | Democratic | |
| M | James M. Curley | February 2, 1914 | January 2, 1950 | 4 | 16 years | Democratic | |
died in office
acting mayor only
^KN Native American Party and American Party were formal names of the "Know Nothing" movement.
Acting mayors
Boston's city charter stipulates that the City Council President serves as acting mayor whenever the mayor is absent from the city, unable to serve, or the office is vacant. An acting mayor cannot make permanent appointments, and can only perform urgent tasks "not admitting of delay" (which is somewhat open to interpretation).[15]
The following individuals served as acting mayor during a vacancy in the office.
| Year | Name | Explanation | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1845 | William Parker | Served as acting mayor during multiple deadlocked elections. | [11] |
| 1845 | Benson Leavitt | Served as acting mayor following the death of Thomas A. Davis. | [11] |
| 1853 | Benjamin L. Allen | Served as acting mayor during multiple deadlocked elections. | [11] |
| 1873 | Leonard R. Cutter | Served as acting mayor following Henry L. Pierce's election to Congress. Was not a candidate in the 1873 Boston mayoral election. | [16][17] |
| 1905 | Daniel A. Whelton | Served as acting mayor following the death of Patrick Collins. Was not a candidate in the 1905 Boston mayoral election. | [18][19] |
| 1945 | John E. Kerrigan | Served as acting mayor upon Maurice J. Tobin becoming Governor of Massachusetts. Subsequently lost the 1945 Boston mayoral election. | [20][21] |
| 1947 | John B. Hynes | Served as acting mayor during the absence (incarceration) of James M. Curley. Subsequently won the 1949 Boston mayoral election. | [11][22] |
| 1993 | Thomas Menino | Served as acting mayor upon Raymond Flynn becoming Ambassador to the Holy See. Subsequently won the 1993 Boston mayoral election. | [23][24] |
| 2021 | Kim Janey | Served as acting mayor upon Marty Walsh becoming United States Secretary of Labor. Eliminated in preliminary stage of the 2021 Boston mayoral election. | [25][26] |
See also
Notes
- ^ This web page itself first applied numbers to the list of mayors in August 2007. Menino was numbered 53rd at that time. For reasons that are unclear, Leonard R. Cutter, who served as acting mayor in late 1873, was also included in the count. This has since been updated for internal consistency.
Sources
- Allison, Robert; Bulger, William (2011). James Michael Curley. Applewood Books. ISBN 9781933212753.
- O'Neill, Gerard (2012). Rogues and Redeemers. New York: Crown Publisher. ISBN 9780307405364.
References
- ^ a b Valencia, Milton J. (June 13, 2018). "Mayor, councilors could get 4% raises". The Boston Globe. p. B5. Retrieved March 23, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "(untitled)". Weekly Raleigh Register. Raleigh, North Carolina. March 22, 1822. p. 3. Retrieved March 24, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Charter Amended". The Boston Globe. June 2, 1895. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ O'Neill, pp. 39–42
- ^ "New Boston Charter is the Worst Defeat Ever Given Boss Rule". The Marion Daily Mirror. Marion, Ohio. November 3, 1909. Retrieved March 17, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Report Bill to Stop Consecutive Terms". The Boston Globe. February 26, 1918. p. 6. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Elections". The Boston Globe. November 8, 1939. p. 1, 14. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Allison and Bulger, pp. 86–87
- ^ "Plan A Wins; Boston to Get New Charter". The Boston Globe. November 9, 1949. p. 1. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Editorial: Elected leaders profit as we pay". Boston Herald. June 29, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Past Mayors of Boston". boston.gov. July 8, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ Flint, Anthony (January 1, 1998). "New council support seen for Roache as president". The Boston Globe. p. 27. Retrieved March 23, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Ryan, Andrew (January 6, 2014). "Is Walsh mayor 54? Or 48? Or 58?". Boston.com. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- ^ Cotter, Sean Philip (March 27, 2021). "Analysis: What number mayor is Kim Janey, actually?". Boston Herald. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ DeCosta-Klipa, Nik (January 22, 2021). "What's actually the difference between being mayor and acting mayor?". Boston.com. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "Resignation of the Mayor of Boston". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. November 25, 1873. p. 4. Retrieved March 12, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Boston Mayor Race - Dec 09, 1873". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- ^ "Whelton is Acting Mayor". The Boston Globe. September 15, 1905. pp. 1, 8. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Boston Mayor Race - Dec 12, 1905". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- ^ Doherty, Joseph (January 26, 1945). "Kerrigan First World War II Vet to Head City Government". The Boston Globe. pp. 1, 8. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Boston Mayor Race - Nov 06, 1945". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- ^ "Boston Mayor Race - Nov 08, 1949". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ McGrory, Brian (July 13, 1993). "Menino, 'a neighborhood guy,' now at center stage". The Boston Globe. p. 12. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Boston Mayor Race - Nov 02, 1993". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- ^ Gavin, Christopher (March 22, 2021). "Kim Janey becomes Boston's acting mayor, makes history as first Black person, woman to hold the office". Boston Herald. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ "Unofficial Election Results". Boston.gov. October 3, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
Further reading
- State Street Trust Company (1914). Mayors of Boston: Illustrated Epitome of Who the Mayors Have Been and What They Have Done. Boston: Walter Advertising and Printing – via Google Books.
- Child, Christopher C. (February 22, 2021). "Mayors of Boston". americanancestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society.
External links
- Lists of Mayors of Boston at The Political Graveyard