John E. Kerrigan
Kerrigan circa the 1930s
Acting Mayor of Boston
In office
January 4, 1945[1] – January 7, 1946[2]
Preceded byMaurice J. Tobin
Succeeded byJames Michael Curley
Member of the Massachusetts Senate
for the Fourth Suffolk District
In office
January 1939 – January 1941
Preceded byEdward C. Carroll
Succeeded byLeo J. Sullivan
Personal details
BornOctober 1, 1908
Boston, Massachusetts
DiedMay 2, 1987(1987-05-02) (aged 78)
Boston, Massachusetts
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic

John E. Kerrigan (October 1, 1908 – May 2, 1987) was the acting mayor of Boston in 1945 after then-Mayor Maurice J. Tobin became governor of Massachusetts.

Biography

Kerrigan was born on October 1, 1908, and was a graduate of South Boston High School.[3] He began serving on the Boston City Council in 1933. He was council president in 1938, 1944, and 1945. He also served one term in the Massachusetts Senate, 1939–1941.

As president of the Council in 1945, Kerrigan became acting Mayor of Boston upon the inauguration of Maurice J. Tobin, who had been mayor since 1938, as governor.[1] Initially with limited authority, Kerrigan was given full mayoral powers by the Massachusetts legislature on January 25, 1945.[4][5] He was defeated in the November 1945 mayoral election by James Michael Curley.[6] Kerrigan served as acting mayor into January 1946,[7] until Curley was inaugurated.

Kerrigan retired from the City Council in 1973, having served a total of 15 terms, non-consecutively. He died on May 2, 1987, of cardiac arrest at Boston City Hospital.[3] He had never married.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Kerrigan Faces Busy Day as Boston's Acting Mayor". The Boston Globe. January 5, 1945. p. 1. Retrieved June 11, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Congressman Takes Job as Boston Mayor". The Tampa Tribune. January 8, 1946. Retrieved March 15, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "JOHN KERRIGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL; AT 80". The Boston Globe. May 3, 1987. p. 99. Retrieved March 16, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  4. ^ Doherty, Joseph (January 26, 1945). "Kerrigan First World War II Vet to Head City Government". The Boston Globe. p. 1. Retrieved June 11, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "PAST MAYORS OF BOSTON". boston.gov. 8 July 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2018. served as Mayor from January 25, 1945, through the end of the year
  6. ^ "Curley Elected Mayor Of Boston 4th Time". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 7, 1945 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Sergeant, 7 Patrolmen to Retire Tomorrow". The Boston Globe. January 6, 1946. p. D29. Retrieved March 16, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  8. ^ "John E. Kerrigan Dies. Former Boston Official". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 4, 1987.

External links

Political offices Preceded byMaurice Tobin Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts (acting) 1945–1946 Succeeded byJames Michael Curley Preceded byJohn I. FitzgeraldThomas J. Hannon President of the Boston City Council 19381944–1945 Succeeded byGeorge A. MurrayJohn B. Kelly Preceded byEdward C. Carroll Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the 4th Suffolk District 1939–1941 Succeeded byLeo J. Sullivan
Mayors of Boston, Massachusetts
Categories