Edward Joseph Collins Jr.U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007Boston College Bulletin, Law, 1969
/ref> (June 29, 1943 – January 29, 2007)Social Security Death Index was an American government official for the state of Massachusetts, the town of Saugus and the city of Boston. He is the namesake of the Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Early life

Collins was born and raised in

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

. He attended

Archbishop Williams High School Archbishop Williams High School is a co-educational Catholic school in Braintree, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded in 1949 by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. Archbishop Williams' school seal, originally that of the founding orde ...

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

, and Boston College Law School.Boston College Bulletin, Law, 1966
/ref>

Massachusetts Department of Revenue

In 1978 Collins was named a Deputy Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. He was in charge of the newly created Division of Local Services (DLS), which assisted local officials with the complexities of the recently passed Proposition 2½. He also helped create cutting edge computer technology to help cities and towns set and collect property taxes. In 1987, he received the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation Award for Outstanding Service to the Commonwealth. He was succeeded by his protégé and future Secretary of Administration and Finance

Leslie Kirwan Leslie A. Kirwan (born April 1, 1957) is an American government official and college administrator who currently serves as the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean for Administration and Finance at Harvard University. Early life A native of Cambrid ...

Saugus, Massachusetts

Collins was a 30-year resident of Saugus, Massachusetts. He spent one year as a town meeting member and one term (1977 to 1979) as a member of the Board of Selectmen. He then spent ten years as a member of the Board of Appeals. In 1991 he was named Town Manager of Saugus. He was the architect of the town's Capital Improvement Plan, which resulted in the construction of the new public safety building, senior center, library and public works facility. He also secured funding for the renovation of

Saugus Town Hall Saugus Town Hall is a historic town hall in Saugus, Massachusetts. It was built in 1875 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Construction In 1874, construction began on Saugus' second and present town hall. The corner ...

Boston

In 1996, Collins resigned as Saugus Town Manager to become the chief financial officer and treasurer of Boston. In this position he oversaw a $1.8 billion budget and brought fiscal discipline during a time of financial pressure. He was a childhood friend of Mayor

Thomas Menino Thomas Michael Menino (December 27, 1942 – October 30, 2014) was an American politician who served as the 53rd mayor of Boston, from 1993 to 2014. He was the city's longest-serving mayor. He was elected mayor in 1993 after first serving three ...

and was seen as part of his "inner circle". In the fall of 2000 he suffered a stroke which limited his ability to work. He retired in 2002, but stayed on as a special advisor until 2005.

Death and legacy

Collins died on January 29, 2007, at his home in North Reading, Massachusetts, after a lengthy illness. In July 2008, the new Center for Public Management was established at the University of Massachusetts Boston by Governor

Deval Patrick Deval Laurdine Patrick (born July 31, 1956) is an American politician, civil rights lawyer, author, and businessman who served as the 71st governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. He was first elected in 2006, succeeding Mitt Romney, who ...

and the

state legislature 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 ...

and was named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Edward J. Jr. Carroll School of Management alumni Boston College Law School alumni Politicians from Boston People from North Reading, Massachusetts People from Saugus, Massachusetts Town Managers of Saugus, Massachusetts 2007 deaths 1943 births American chief financial officers People from Hyde Park, Boston Archbishop Williams High School alumni 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians