Edward Joseph Logue (February 7, 1921 – January 27, 2000) was an American
urban planner
An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning.
An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, town ...
and
public administrator
Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit establ ...
who worked in
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
,
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 ...
, and
New York State
New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
.
Commentators often compare Logue with
Robert Moses
Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid 20th century. Despite never being elected to any office, Moses is regarded ...
- both were advocates of large-scale
urban renewal
Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
from the 1950s through the 1970s.
[
]
Logue headed the New Haven Redevelopment Agency, Boston Redevelopment Authority, New York State Urban Development Corporation, and the South Bronx Development Organization. Logue is best known for overseeing major
public works
Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, sc ...
projects, such as
Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall ( or ; previously ) is a marketplace and meeting hall located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts. Opened in 1742, it was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others ...
-
Quincy Market
Quincy Market is a historic building near Faneuil Hall in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It was constructed between 1824 and 1826 and named in honor of mayor Josiah Quincy, who organized its construction without any tax or debt. The market is ...
and
Government Center 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 ...
, and the re-development of
Roosevelt Island
Roosevelt Island is an island in New York City's East River, within the borough of Manhattan. It lies between Manhattan Island to the west, and the borough of Queens, on Long Island, to the east. Running from the equivalent of East 46th to 85 ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
Logue was an unsuccessful candidate in the
1967 Boston mayoral election
The Boston mayoral election of 1967 occurred on Tuesday, November 7, 1967, between Secretary of the Commonwealth Kevin White and Boston School Committee member Louise Day Hicks. White was elected to his first term, and inaugurated on Monday, J ...
.
Early life and education
Logue was born on February 7, 1921, to Edward J. Logue and Resina Fay Logue in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. He attended
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
, graduating in 1942, and served as a
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
in the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. For his service in the war, Logue was awarded an
Air Medal
The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Criteria
The Air Medal was establish ...
with clusters. After the war, he found work for
Chester Bowles
Chester Bliss Bowles (April 5, 1901 – May 25, 1986) was an American diplomat and ambassador, governor of Connecticut, congressman and co-founder of a major advertising agency, Benton & Bowles, now part of Publicis Groupe. Bowles is best known f ...
, the
governor of Connecticut
The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connecticu ...
, as a
legal secretary
A legal secretary is a particular category of worker within the legal profession. Background
In the practice of law in the United States, a legal secretary is a person who works in the legal profession, typically assisting lawyers. Legal secretar ...
.
Head of the New Haven Redevelopment Agency (1954–1960)
Logue worked as development administrator for
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
from 1954 to 1960.
He worked to redevelop New Haven's downtown area.
Director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (1960–1967)
Logue was made director of the
Boston Redevelopment Authority
The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA), formerly the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), is a Massachusetts public agency that serves as the municipal planning and development agency for Boston, working on both housing and commercial de ...
(BRA) in 1960 at the by then-mayor
John F. Collins.
As head of the BRA, Logue sought to develop a "New Boston". One of the agency's major projects was a housing development in
South End, known as Castle Square. They also oversaw construction of the Government Center, redevelopment of the
Prudential Center
Prudential Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the men's basketball program of Seton Hal ...
as well as the cities waterfront. While Logue was at the BRA, the
Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall ( or ; previously ) is a marketplace and meeting hall located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts. Opened in 1742, it was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others ...
-
Quincy Market
Quincy Market is a historic building near Faneuil Hall in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It was constructed between 1824 and 1826 and named in honor of mayor Josiah Quincy, who organized its construction without any tax or debt. The market is ...
redevelopment was planned, though it was not completed until 1976. He remained at the BRA until 1967, when Logue resigned to run an unsuccessful campaign 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- ...
.
1967 Boston mayoral candidacy
Logue ran for mayor of Boston in 1967, but failed to advance past the nonpartisan
primary election
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...
.
Prior to launching his campaign, Logue had been speculated as a candidate that would run if Mayor Collins did not seek reelection, and had indicated interesting doing so if the mayor declined to run. Collins ultimately announced in early June 1967 his decision not to seek reelection. Logue ran as Collins' preferred successor.
A first time candidate for public office, Logue claimed to have declined urban renewal positions in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
and
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
in order to instead run out of a love for the city of Boston. A non-native to Boston, he was disparaged by opponents as an "intruder". It was claimed in an article published by ''
The Reporter'' that many of his opponents had privately expressed that Logue was the best-qualified candidate.
On the eve of the nonpartisan primary election, ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' reported that most private
opinion polls
An opinion poll, often simply referred to as a survey or a poll (although strictly a poll is an actual election) is a human research survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions ...
conducted shortly before the vote showed
Kevin White with retaining his comfortable lead, but showed
Louise Day Hicks
Anna Louise Day Hicks (October 16, 1916 – October 21, 2003) was an American politician and lawyer from Boston, Massachusetts, best known for her staunch opposition to desegregation in Boston public schools, and especially to court-ordered b ...
to have slipped in support, with Logue supplanting her as the second-place candidate. The newspaper cautioned that these private polls could very probably be inaccurate, however. A
WNAC-TV
WNAC-TV (channel 64), branded on-air as Fox Providence, is a television station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, affiliated with Fox and The CW. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) ...
poll released two days before the election found Logue in a close third-place behind Hicks, with a chance to overtake her as the second-place finisher if a favorable share of vast amount of undecided respondents supported him.
Logue ultimately place fourth in the primary, well behind White and Hicks (who placed first and second, respectively) and only 53-votes behind third-place finisher
John W. Sears
John Winthrop Sears (December 18, 1930 – November 4, 2014) was an American lawyer, historian and politician. His great-great-grandfather was David Sears II. He was the grandson of seven time National tennis champion Richard Dudley Sears and ...
Sears' candidacy, which centered its extensive and well-funded
advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
campaign on solving neighborhood-related matters, was seen by ''The Reporter'' as overlapping with Logue's strength of experience in neighborhood revitalization. ''The Reporter'' speculated that the two candidates hurt one an others' chances by competing for similar voters. Logue placed first in the city's sole
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 ...
-majority ward, which was located in the Washington Park area of
Roxbury. This neighborhood was the site of a significant neighborhood revitalization effort overseen by Logue.
After losing his mayoral bid, Logue was named a professor of urban affairs at
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
.
Head of the New York State Urban Development Corporation (1968–1975
Logue left Boston to head the new
New York State Urban Development Corporation
Empire State Development (ESD) is the umbrella organization for New York's two principal economic development public-benefit corporations, the New York State Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and the New York Job Development Authority (JDA). T ...
(UDC) from 1968 to 1975 that was created by New York Governor
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. A member of t ...
. During his tenure, the organization undertook projects at a quick pace. The organization largely forwent the processes of
underwriting
Underwriting (UW) services are provided by some large financial institutions, such as banks, insurance companies and investment houses, whereby they guarantee payment in case of damage or financial loss and accept the financial risk for liabilit ...
and
due diligence
Due diligence is the investigation or exercise of care that a reasonable business or person is normally expected to take before entering into an agreement or contract with another party or an act with a certain standard of care.
It can be a l ...
that private projects typically undergo in order to ensure that revenue can be generated sufficient for long-term financing and operations. The agency anticipated that it would be able to rely upon continued federal government funding that would allow for it to sustain its finances. In 1975, the UDC defaulted on its debts (going
bankrupt
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debt ...
) in 1975 as consequence of factors that included a
Nixon administration
Richard Nixon's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 37th president of the United States began with First inauguration of Richard Nixon, his first inauguration on January 20, 1969, and ended when he resigned on August 9, 1974 ...
restructuring of housing programs, rising
interest rates
An interest rate is the amount of interest due per period, as a proportion of the amount lent, deposited, or borrowed (called the principal sum). The total interest on an amount lent or borrowed depends on the principal sum, the interest rate, th ...
, and declining confidence of investors in the ability of the agency to pay back bonds.
Logue resigned from the UDC after it went bankrupt.
His reputation was greatly damaged as a result of the agency's bankruptcy.
As head of the agency, Logue oversaw the construction of various housing projects, notably on
Roosevelt Island
Roosevelt Island is an island in New York City's East River, within the borough of Manhattan. It lies between Manhattan Island to the west, and the borough of Queens, on Long Island, to the east. Running from the equivalent of East 46th to 85 ...
. 33,000 units were constructed under Logue. He also supported a failed plan to construct 900 low-income housing units in
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...
. In the late 1960s, he led a project to design a neighborhood in
Fort Lincoln, Washington D.C. for 25,000 people as requested by then-President
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
. However, nothing came of the planning.
President of the South Bronx Development Organization (1979–1985)
From 1975 until 1985, Logue worked to revitalize the
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...
,
which had been negatively impacted, in part, by an oversaturation of housing that resulted from the construction by the UDC of an excessive amount of new
subsidized housing
Subsidized housing is government sponsored economic assistance aimed towards alleviating housing costs and expenses for impoverished people with low to moderate incomes. In the United States, subsidized housing is often called "affordable housin ...
at a time when the borough's population was actively declining.
Logue's work in the South Bronx culminated in a term as president of the South Bronx Development Organization from its creation in April 1979 until 1985,
having been appointed to the position by New York City Mayor
Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was may ...
.
Later life
Logue died on January 27, 2000. The mayor of Boston,
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 ...
said of him: "Ed Logue was a guy who reinvented Boston".
Electoral history
References
External links
*
Edward Joseph Logue Papers (MS 959). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library.
Friends of Edward J. Logue tribute websiteNew Town in the City: Edward J. Logue and His Vision for Roosevelt Island, New York
{{DEFAULTSORT:Logue, Edward
1921 births
2000 deaths
American urban planners
20th century in Boston
Government Center, Boston
Boston University faculty
Politicians from Boston
People from Philadelphia
People from Boston