The Boston mayoral election of 1937 occurred on Tuesday, November 2, 1937. Boston School Committee member Maurice J. Tobin defeated five other candidates, including former mayors

James Michael Curley James Michael Curley (November 20, 1874 – November 12, 1958) was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served four terms as mayor of Boston. He also served a single term as governor of Massachusetts, characterized ...

and

Malcolm Nichols Malcolm Edwin Nichols (May 8, 1876 – February 7, 1951) was a journalist and a U.S. political figure. Nichols served as the Mayor of Boston in the late 1920s. He came from a Boston Brahmin family and was the most recent Republican to serve in t ...

. In 1918, the

Massachusetts state legislature The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

had passed legislation making the

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- ...

ineligible to serve consecutive terms. Thus, incumbent

Frederick Mansfield Frederick William Mansfield (March 26, 1877 – November 6, 1958) was an American politician and 46th mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. Early life Mansfield was born in East Boston, Massachusetts, March 26, 1877. Mansfield was the son of Michael R ...

was unable to run for re-election. The law would be changed in 1939, making this the last election where the incumbent mayor could not run for re-election. Tobin was inaugurated on Monday, January 3, 1938.

Candidates

*Carleton L. Brett, former Boston police officer *

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachuset ...

from 1935 to 1937, Mayor of Boston from 1914 to 1918, 1922 to 1926, 1930 to 1934, and member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from 1913 to 1914 * William J. Foley, District Attorney of Suffolk County since 1927 *

, Mayor of Boston from 1926 to 1930 *Alfred Santosuosso, lawyer * Maurice J. Tobin, member of the Boston School Committee since 1931

Candidates

Results

See also

References

Further reading