John Francis Collins (February 17, 1872 – October 6, 1962) was an American lawyer and 28th mayor of

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

. He served one term, from 1939 to 1941.

Personal life

John Francis Collins was born February 17, 1872, in Providence, Rhode Island to Michael R. Collins and Catherine Dwyer Collins. He attended public schools and graduated

La Salle Academy } La Salle Academy is an American private, Catholic all-boys' high school in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York. The school is run by the Eastern North American District of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. ...

. After attending St. Charles College, Collins returned to Providence to work at James Hanley's Brewing Company and the old Providence Brewing Company. Collins was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, and member of St. Paul's Church in Edgewood. Collins married Juliana Grace Murray, daughter of Providence police chief John Andrew Murray.

Law career

Collins graduated Boston University School of Law in 1908 and was admitted to the Rhode Island Bar in 1909. He opened his own law office two years later. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Collins served as legal advisor to the Rhode Island

Draft board {{further, Conscription in the United StatesDraft boards are a part of the Selective Service System which register and select men of military age in the event of conscription in the United States. Local board The local draft board is a board t ...

. From 1921 to 1923, Collins served as special assistant to the

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for Rhode Island to prosecute

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol ...

cases. He was elected to the City Council in 1925 and 1927.

Mayor of Providence

After losing races as the Republican candidate for mayor of Providence in 1934 and 1936, Collins defeated incumbent James E. Dunne in 1938 by 4,591 votes. At his first meeting of the Board of Aldermen in 1939 Collins caused some controversy by appointing himself as chairman of the Bureau of Police and Fire. He resigned from that post in 1940. During his single term as mayor, Collins also: *Pushed to build city sidewalks with labor from the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

*Fought against installation of parking meters, feeling they were unconstitutional *Proposed to cover the open canal in Market Square and rent the space for parking *Fought with members of his own party, as well as with Democrats *Refused perks such as a post-election victory dinner and official City Hall Portrait. He later relented on the portrait. Collins was nominated for re-election in 1940, but was defeated by former state senator Dennis J. Roberts.

Later life, death and burial

After his electoral defeat, Collins returned to his law practice and was involved in several church and civic organizations. Collins died Saturday, October 6, 1962, at Our Lady of Fatima Hospital, aged 90. He had suffered a monthlong illness, the nature of which was not disclosed in obituaries. He was buried at St. Francis Cemetery in Pawtucket.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, John F. 20th-century mayors of places in Rhode Island 1872 births 1962 deaths Mayors of Providence, Rhode Island Burials in Rhode Island Catholics from Rhode Island Rhode Island lawyers Rhode Island Republicans La Salle Academy alumni Boston University School of Law alumni St. Charles College (Maryland) alumni