John J. Tierney Jr. ( 1926October 2005) served two terms on the

Boston School Committee Boston Public Schools (BPS) is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest public school district in the state of Massachusetts. Leadership The district is led by a Superintendent, hired by the ...

in the late 1950s (also was chairman) and served on the

Boston City Council The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councillors are elected to two-year terms and there is no ...

from 1960 to 1964, twice serving as the council's president. After losing a reelection bid, Tierney was a budget analyst for the council before being appointed commissioner of Boston Parks and Recreation in 1966 by mayor

John Collins John Collins may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John Collins (poet) (1742–1808), English orator, singer, and poet * John Churton Collins (1848–1908), English literary critic * John H. Collins (director) (1889–1918), American director an ...

. He served until 1968.

Early life

Born in South Boston, he was the eldest of eight children, Tierney graduated from

Boston English High School The English High School of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, is one of the first public high schools in America, founded in 1821. Originally called The English Classical School, it was renamed The English High School upon its first relocation ...

in 1943 and then enlisted in the Marine Corps. He served as a flight navigator during World War II in the Pacific Theater. After the war, he worked as a policeman for the Boston Police Department in 1948 while attending

Suffolk University Suffolk University is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. With 7,560 students (includes all campuses, 7,379 at the Boston location alone), it is the eighth-largest university in metropolitan Boston. It was founded as a l ...

and Suffolk Law School. He passed the bar in 1956 and worked as a public defender for a year.

References

2005 deaths People from South Boston Presidents of the Boston City Council Suffolk University Law School alumni United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II English High School of Boston alumni People from Kingston, Massachusetts Boston School Committee members Public defenders 1920s births {{Massachusetts-politician-stub