Bruce Carlton Bolling (April 29, 1945September 11, 2012) was a politician and businessman in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
. He was a member of the
Boston City Council
The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councillors are elected to two-year terms and there is no ...
and served as the council's first
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
president in the mid-1980s. He unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Boston
in 1993.
Early years
Bolling was educated at
Boston English High School
The English High School of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, is one of the first public high schools in America, founded in 1821. Originally called The English Classical School, it was renamed The English High School upon its first relocation ...
,
Northeastern University
Northeastern University (NU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in ...
, and
received a
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in education from Antioch University (now
Cambridge College
Cambridge College is a private college based in Boston, Massachusetts. It also operates regional centers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Springfield, Massachusetts, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and Rancho Cucamonga, California.
History
Founding
Cam ...
).
[ He was from "the city's most politically successful black family. His father, Royal L. Bolling, was a ]state senator
A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature.
Description
A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...
and his brother, Royal L. Bolling Jr., served as state representative
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
."
Political career
Around 1980, Bolling worked "in the administration of Mayor Kevin White in a variety of capacities, including positions in the Office of Public Safety and as a manager of a Little City Hall."[ In November 1981, he was elected to the Boston City Council, in the final election when all seats were ]at-large
At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...
. He was subsequently re-elected to four two-year terms as the representative for District 7 ( Roxbury). He was council president in 1986 and 1987 — "the first Black elected president of the Boston City Council." He lost his position on the council following the November 1991 election, when he unsuccessfully sought an at-large seat. He returned to the council in September 1992, following the death of at-large member Christopher A. Iannella, as Bolling had finished fifth in the election for four at-large seats. Bolling ran for 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- ...
in 1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
, finishing fifth in the preliminary election.
Later years and legacy
From 2000 until his death, Bolling was director of MassAlliance, a firm specializing in small business
Small businesses are types of corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships which have fewer employees and/or less annual revenue than a regular-sized business or corporation. Businesses are defined as "small" in terms of being able to ap ...
development. He died of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...
on September 11, 2012. He was 67.
In 2015, the Ferdinand Building in then-Dudley Square (now Nubian Square
Nubian Square (formerly Dudley Square) is the primary commercial center of the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located at the intersection of Dudley Street and Washington Street. It has long been the center of African American cul ...
) was renamed the Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building in his honor. The dedication ceremony was attended by his brother, Royal L. Bolling, Jr., Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker
Charles Duane Baker Jr. (born November 13, 1956) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 72nd governor of Massachusetts since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Baker was a cabinet official under two governors of Massach ...
, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh
Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and former union official. He has been the 29th United States Secretary of Labor since March 23, 2021. A Democrat, he previously served as the 54th mayor of Boston from 2014, ...
, and other Massachusetts politicians.
References
Further reading
;Publications by Bolling
*
*
*
;Publications about Bolling
*
* (Controversy over taxi driver refusing to drive black City Councilman Bruce Bolling home to Roxbury neighborhood).
*
External links
Bolling profile
at bostonlocaltv.org
at ourcampaigns.com
Community, Officials Honor Legacy of Bruce Bolling
via YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
Bruce C. Bolling Building Renaming Ceremony
at cityofboston.gov (April 7, 2015)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolling, Bruce C
Boston City Council members
Businesspeople from Boston
20th century in Boston
1945 births
2012 deaths
Deaths from prostate cancer
Deaths from cancer in Massachusetts
Cambridge College alumni
African-American city council members in Massachusetts
20th-century American businesspeople
20th-century African-American people
21st-century African-American people