George Albee Hibbard (October 27, 1864 – May 29, 1910)
was an American
political figure
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
who served as 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- ...
from 1908 to 1910.
Early years
Hibbard was born in Boston in 1864,
[ graduated from ]Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
in 1880, and passed the bar in 1885.
Career
Hibbard became Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
of Boston in 1899.[ In the December 1907 mayoral election, Hibbard ran as a ]Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
against incumbent and Democratic candidate John F. Fitzgerald
John Francis "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald (February 11, 1863 – October 2, 1950) was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served as a U.S. Representative and Mayor of Boston. He also made unsuccessful runs for the United ...
. Hibbard defeated Fitzgerald, 38,112 votes to 35,935; a third candidate, John Coulthurst, a Democrat running as the Independence League
The Independence Party, established as the Independence League, was a short-lived minor American political party sponsored by newspaper publisher and politician William Randolph Hearst in 1906. The organization was the successor to the Municip ...
candidate, had 15,811 votes. Hibbard served as mayor from January 1908 to February 1910.
Historian Peter Jones argues that Hibbard was not a true reformer. His triumph in the mayoral election was a result of Fitzgerald's blunders. It was a transient reaction to the Democratic Party's high spending. Hibbard, during his two years as mayor, made drastic cuts, releasing nearly a thousand city workers, halving street maintenance expenses, and decreasing the city's debt. He also established a permanent Finance Committee appointed by the governor to act as a counterweight to the local Democrats. Nonetheless, his actions earned him numerous enemies, and the reform coalition refused to endorse him for reelection. Despite this, the ailing mayor ran anyway, spurred on by Fitzgerald who wanted to divide the vote. In the January 1910 election, out of the 95,000 votes cast, Fitzgerald won with 47,177, reformer James Storrow received 45,775, and Hibbard obtained a mere 1,614 votes.[Melvin G. Holli, and Peter d'A. Jones, eds. ''Biographical dictionary of American mayors, 1820-1980'' ( Greenwood Press, 1981) p. 162.]
Four months later Hibbard died in his home of tuberculosis.
See also
* Timeline of Boston
This article is a timeline of the history of the city of Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
17th century
* 1625 – William Blaxton arrives.
* 1630 - When Boston was founded
** English Puritans arrive.
** First Church in Boston established.
** Septe ...
, 1890s-1900s
References
External links
Hibbard election records
at ourcampaigns.com
1864 births
1910 deaths
Mayors of Boston
20th-century deaths from tuberculosis
Massachusetts Republicans
19th-century American politicians
Harvard University alumni
Politicians from Dorchester, Massachusetts
Tuberculosis deaths in Massachusetts
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