John James "Jack" McGlynn (February 26, 1922 – August 20, 2016) was an American politician who served as mayor of

Medford, Massachusetts Medford is a city northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus alo ...

, and as a member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

Early life

McGlynn was born on February 26, 1922, in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, to Anthony and Catherine (McCormack) McGlynn. He graduated from St. Clement High School in 1939. In 1942 he married Helen Lenox.

Military career

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 ...

, McGlynn was a member of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, a tactical deception unit known as the "

Ghost Army The Ghost Army was a United States Army tactical deception unit during World War II officially known as the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops. The 1100-man unit was given a unique mission: to deceive Hitler's forces and mislead them as to the ...

" that worked to mislead the Germans about the size and location of American troops. He earned four combat stars during the war.

Political career

McGlynn began his political career in 1954 as a candidate for city council in Medford. He served on city council for a total of 22 years. He was also the city's mayor from 1962 to 1967, 1970 to 1971, and 1976 to 1977. At the time, the position of mayor was a ceremonial one, as an appointed city manager served as the chief administrator of the city. From 1959 to 1975, McGlynn also served as a state representative. In 1966 he was an unsuccessful candidate for

Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts The lieutenant governor of Massachusetts is the first in the line to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor following the incapacitation of the Governor of Massachusetts. The constitutional honorific title for the office is His ...

. During the 1980s McGlynn was the chief secretary to Governor

Edward J. King Edward Joseph King (May 11, 1925 – September 18, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 66th Governor of Massachusetts from 1979 to 1983. A member of the Democratic Party until 1985, he then became a member of the Republican ...

. From 1983 to 1997 he was the commissioner of the Massachusetts Public Employee Retirement Administration.

Personal life

Outside of politics, McGlynn worked as a realtor and owned a floral shop for several years after the war. For 42 years, McGlynn was also chairman of Medford Cooperative Bank and its successor, Brookline Bank. His son,

Michael J. McGlynn Michael J. McGlynn served as the 31st Mayor of Medford, Massachusetts, from 1988–2016. He also served from 1977–1988 as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives representing the 37th Middlesex District ( Medford/ Malden). Ed ...

, served as mayor of Medford from 1988 to 2016. The younger McGlynn was the first mayor elected under the strong mayor form of government. Medford's John J. McGlynn Sr. Elementary School is named after McGlynn.

Death

McGlynn died on August 20, 2016, at his home in Medford. On August 25 and 26 he lay in repose at Medford City Hall. McGlynn was the first person in modern history to receive this honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGlynn, John J. 1922 births 2016 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II American real estate brokers Mayors of Medford, Massachusetts Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives New England Law Boston alumni Northeastern University alumni Suffolk University alumni Florists Businesspeople from Massachusetts 20th-century American businesspeople