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Frederick Mansfield
Mansfield, circa 1917
Mayor of Boston
In office January 1, 1934 – January 3, 1938
Preceded by	James Michael Curley
Succeeded by	Maurice J. Tobin
38th Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts
In office 1914–1915
Governor	David I. Walsh
Preceded by	Elmer A. Stevens
Succeeded by	Charles L. Burrill
Majority	17,002
Personal details
Born	Frederick William Mansfield March 26, 1877 East Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	November 6, 1958(1958-11-06) (aged 81) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting place	Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Helen Elizabeth Roe (June 29, 1904)
Children	Walter R. Mansfield
Alma mater	Boston University School of Law
Military service
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1898
Unit	USS Vulcan
Battles/wars	Spanish–American War

Frederick William Mansfield (March 26, 1877 – November 6, 1958) was an American politician who served as the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts.

Early life

Mansfield was born in East Boston, Massachusetts, March 26, 1877. Mansfield was the son of Michael Read Mansfield and Catherine (McDonough) Mansfield, both of whom had immigrated from Ireland.

Mansfield graduated from East Boston High School in 1894 and went on to Boston University School of Law, where he received a L.L.B. degree in 1902.

Mansfield served as an apothecary in the U.S. Navy on the USS Vulcan during the Spanish–American War. After working as a pharmacist, Mansfield was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1902. From 1928 to 1931 he was president of the Massachusetts Bar Association.

Early political career

In 1913, Mansfield was elected treasurer and receiver general of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts serving from 1914 to 1915. In 1914, he lost his bid for re-election to Charles L. Burrill. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Massachusetts in 1916 and 1917.

Mayoralty

Mansfield ran for Mayor of Boston twice. He finished second to his bitter rival James Michael Curley in November 1929, then topped a field of six candidates in November 1933.

He served as mayor from 1934 to 1938, during which he modernized the city's auditing and accounting systems while reducing the city's debt. Despite this, he was unsuccessful in his attempts to centralize the city's many departments. He took advantage of the Works Progress Administration to build the Huntington Avenue subway, a $1.715 million project the city only had to pay $539,227 for. He promoted the sales tax and favored low-income housing, as opposed to substandard housing.

He was not eligible to run for re-election, as Massachusetts law at the time did not allow the Mayor of Boston to serve consecutive terms.

Personal life

Mansfield married Helen Elizabeth Roe on June 29, 1904. Mansfield's son, Walter Roe Mansfield, was born on July 1, 1911.

Death

Mansfield died in St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, November 6, 1958. He was buried in Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts.

See also

• Timeline of Boston, 1930s

References

1. "MANSFIELD TO TAKE OATH THIS MORNING". The Boston Globe. January 1, 1934. p. 20. Retrieved March 16, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
2. "Tobin Becomes Mayor Today, Notables to Attend Ceremony". The Boston Globe. January 3, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved March 16, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
3. Hennessy, Michael Edmund (1917), Twenty-five Years of Massachusetts Politics: from Russell to McCall, 1890-1915, Boston, Ma: Practical Politics, p. 349
4. ^ Marquis, Albert Nelson (1915), Who's who in New England, Chicago, IL: University Press of New England, p. 718
5. Beaver Valley Times (November 12, 1958), Last of City Political Bosses Dies, Beaver, PA: The Beaver Valley Times, p. 2
6. New York Times (November 7, 1958), "F. W. MANSFIELD, CURLEY FOE, DIES; Ex-Mayor of Boston Served 1933-37--Lawyer Aided Catholic Archdiocese", The New York Times, New York, NY, p. 28
7. ^ "Mansfield, Frederick W., 1877-1968 | ArchivesSpace Public Interface". archives.boston.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
8. "Says Autoists May Lose Trials by Jury". The Boston Globe. November 23, 1928.
9. "State Bar Elects Wier as President". The Boston Globe. December 20, 1931.
10. Coolidge, Henry D. (1915), A Manual for the Use of the General Court, Boston, MA: Massachusetts General Court, p. 426
11. "Mansfield, Frederick W." ourcampaigns.com. March 16, 2018.
12. "Article clipped from The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. 1936-10-16. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
13. "Collection: Mayor Frederick W. Mansfield collection | ArchivesSpace Public Interface". archives.boston.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
14. "REPORT BILL TO STOP CONSECUTIVE TERMS". The Boston Globe. February 26, 1918. p. 6. Retrieved March 12, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
15. Hevesi, Dennis (January 8, 1987), William R. Mansfield, Federal Judge is Dead at 75, New York, NY: The New York Times.
16. Walter R. Mansfield, at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges (accessed January 22, 2009).

Bibliography

• Hevesi, Dennis.: William R. Mansfield, Federal Judge is Dead at 75, New York Times (January 8, 1987).

• 1877 births
• 1958 deaths
• People from East Boston
• Boston University School of Law alumni
• State treasurers of Massachusetts
• Mayors of Boston
• Catholics from Massachusetts
• 20th-century mayors of places in Massachusetts