James M. Curley Declared Winner in Boston's 1914 Mayoral Contest


On January 14, 1914, U.S. Congressman James Michael Curley was declared the Mayor of Boston after a bruising, bitter campaign against Thomas J. Kenny.  Curley succeeded his arch rival, Mayor John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, who had backed Kenny in the race. 

The Boston Daily Globe declared that Curley carried sixteen wards, to Kenny's ten wards, wining by a margin of 5,720 votes.  The final tally was 43,262 votes for Curley, and 37,542 votes for Kenny.

Voter numbers were down by 10,000 in 1914 compared to the 1910 election, the Globe noted, due to the bitter cold on January 13, when the temperature dropped to minus seven degrees.

James Michael Curley dominated Boston and Massachusetts politics for the first half of the 20th century. He was mayor of Boston four times, and also served as U.S. Congressman and as Governor of Massachusetts. 

For more information on Irish-American political figures in Boston, visit IrishHeritageTrail.com.

For year round cultural events in Massachusetts, visit IrishMassachusetts.com.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

"Blazing the Trail" depicts early Irish filmmaking, showing on November 23 in Brookline

General Edward L. Logan, Namesake of Boston's Logan International Airport

Damian McGinty, former Celtic Thunder Star, Performs in Hartford and Providence this Fall