Christopher A. Iannella

Early years

Iannella was born in the small village of San Sossio Baronia in Avellino, Italy, and arrived in the U.S. with his mother and sister at the age of eight, unable to speak English. He went on to graduate from The English High School, Boston College, and Harvard Law School. He was one of the "college boys" featured in William Foote Whyte's classic text, Street Corner Society.

Career

A Democrat, Iannella was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1950, and to the Boston City Council in November 1957. He served on the council from 1958 through 1967, when he ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Boston in that year's election. He was again elected to the City Council in November 1969, and served from 1970 through his death in 1992. He was the council president in 1962, 1980, 1982, and from 1988 to 1992.

Iannella helped lead an unsuccessful effort to save Boston's West End before it was demolished in the 1950s. He was known for authoring a law that encouraged the city to hire Boston residents for government jobs, and more generally as an effective intermediary in the often contentious atmosphere of Boston politics.

In 1990, a plaque honoring Iannella was added to Paul Revere Mall. As a child, Iannella lived with his parents in one of the apartment buildings that was razed in order to make room for the mall.

Personal life

He was survived by four children, three of whom worked in politics. Christopher Iannella Jr. has been a member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council since 1993. Richard P. Iannella was an at-large City Council member from 1994 through 1996 and Suffolk County Register of Probate from 1997 to 2011. Suzanne Iannella was a member of the Boston Licensing Board and the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission as well as an unsuccessful candidate for city council in November 1997 and November 1999. The room in Boston City Hall where the City Council meets is named the Christopher A. Iannella Chamber in his honor.

Death

Iannella died in September 1992, of complications from cancer. He was buried in Walnut Hill Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts.

References

References

1. (September 15, 1992). "City Council president Iannella dead at 79". [[The Boston Globe]].
2. (1981). "Street Corner Society: The Social Structure of an Italian Slum". University of Chicago Press.
3. '1955-1956 Public Officials of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,' Irving N. Hayden-clerk of the Massachusetts Senate/Lawrence R. Grove-clerk of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Biographical Sketch of Christopher A. Iannella, pg. 197
4. City Council taps Iannella for 5th term as president. Boston Herald, Jan 7, 1992
5. (September 16, 1992). "Christopher Iannella". [[The Boston Globe]].
6. Sweeney, Emily. (July 25, 2018). "Paul Revere Mall in North End to undergo face lift".
7. Canellos, Peter S.. (October 23, 1997). "Iannella siblings gingerly pass the political torch". The Boston Globe.
8. "Christopher A. Iannella, Jr. (D)". Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
9. Chacon, Richard. (February 4, 1997). "Iannella shakes his father's onerous legacy Leaving council for probate job, he has chance to make mark". [[The Boston Globe]].
10. (January 7, 2011). "Richard Iannella, member of Boston political clan, resigns Suffolk probate court job". [[The Boston Globe]].
11. (December 3, 2014). "Mayor Walsh Overhauls Boston Licensing Board". [[WBUR]] News.
12. (August 23, 2005). "Brewing Interest in Siblings". [[Boston Herald]].
13. "City Council Meeting Agendas - City of Boston".
14. (September 16, 1992). "Other Deaths". The Daily Spectrum.
15. (September 19, 1992). "Iannella funeral draws nearly 1,000; Boston councilor called friend of poor". [[The Boston Globe]].