Mayor of Boston

Mayor of Boston
Seal
Incumbent
Michelle Wu
since November 16, 2021
StyleHis/Her Honor
TypeChief executive
Member ofBoard of Aldermen
(1822-1854)
ResidenceNone official
SeatBoston City Hall
NominatorNon-partisan nominating petition
AppointerPopular vote
Term lengthFour years
Constituting instrumentBoston City Charter
PrecursorBoston Board of Selectmen
FormationOriginal Post:
1822
Current form:
1909
First holderJohn Phillips
Salary$199,000 (2018) [1]
Websitewww.boston.gov/departments/mayors-office
John Phillips, first mayor of Boston
Boston mayoral elections

One-year terms:
1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894
Two-year terms:
1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907
Four-year terms:
1910 1914 1917 1921 1925 1929 1933 1937 1941 1945 1949 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021

 

The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. 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.

The current mayor of Boston is Michelle Wu.

History

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Prior to 1822, there was no Mayor of Boston, because Boston was incorporated as a town. 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 have the intended effect; 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

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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

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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 Michael Curley served four non-consecutive terms and was counted four times.[13][a] Kim Janey, who became acting mayor in March 2021, referred to herself as the 55th mayor.[14]

Use of ( ) in the below table denotes non-consecutive terms for a mayor.

# Mayor Term In office   Party
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 Aspinwall 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 Independent
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 Pearl 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 Michael 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 Michael 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 Michael 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 Michael 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

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Mayors serving non-consecutive terms.
# Mayor Term In office   Party
Start End Terms won Duration
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 Michael 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

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Thomas Menino, longest-serving mayor of Boston

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

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Notes

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  1. ^ 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

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  • 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

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "(untitled)". Weekly Raleigh Register. Raleigh, North Carolina. March 22, 1822. p. 3. Retrieved March 24, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Charter Amended". The Boston Globe. June 2, 1895. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ O'Neill, pp. 39–42
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "Report Bill to Stop Consecutive Terms". The Boston Globe. February 26, 1918. p. 6. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Elections". The Boston Globe. November 8, 1939. p. 1, 14. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Allison and Bulger, pp. 86–87
  9. ^ "Plan A Wins; Boston to Get New Charter". The Boston Globe. November 9, 1949. p. 1. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Editorial: Elected leaders profit as we pay". Boston Herald. June 29, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Past Mayors of Boston". boston.gov. July 8, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ a b c Ryan, Andrew (January 6, 2014). "Is Walsh mayor 54? Or 48? Or 58?". Boston.com. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  14. ^ Cotter, Sean Philip (March 27, 2021). "Analysis: What number mayor is Kim Janey, actually?". Boston Herald. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  15. ^ DeCosta-Klipa, Nik (January 22, 2021). "What's actually the difference between being mayor and acting mayor?". Boston.com. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  16. ^ "Resignation of the Mayor of Boston". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. November 25, 1873. p. 4. Retrieved March 12, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Boston Mayor Race - Dec 09, 1873". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  18. ^ "Whelton is Acting Mayor". The Boston Globe. September 15, 1905. pp. 1, 8. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Boston Mayor Race - Dec 12, 1905". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ "Boston Mayor Race - Nov 06, 1945". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  22. ^ "Boston Mayor Race - Nov 08, 1949". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ "Boston Mayor Race - Nov 02, 1993". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ "Unofficial Election Results". Boston.gov. October 3, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2021.

Further reading

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