Frederick Mansfield

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.

References

Bibliography

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

References

1. (January 1, 1934). "MANSFIELD TO TAKE OATH THIS MORNING". [[The Boston Globe]].
2. (January 3, 1938). "Tobin Becomes Mayor Today, Notables to Attend Ceremony". [[The Boston Globe]].
3. {{Citation. Hennessy. Michael Edmund. "Twenty-five Years of Massachusetts Politics: from Russell to McCall, 1890-1915". Practical Politics. (1917)
4. {{Citation. Marquis. Albert Nelson. "Who's who in New England". University Press of New England. (1915)
5. {{Citation. Beaver Valley Times. "Last of City Political Bosses Dies". (November 12, 1958). The Beaver Valley Times
6. {{Citation. New York Times. "F. W. MANSFIELD, [[James Michael Curley". CURLEY]] FOE, DIES; Ex-Mayor of Boston Served 1933-37--Lawyer Aided Catholic Archdiocese. (November 7, 1958). The New York Times
7. "Mansfield, Frederick W., 1877-1968 {{!}} ArchivesSpace Public Interface".
8. (November 23, 1928). "Says Autoists May Lose Trials by Jury". The Boston Globe.
9. (December 20, 1931). "State Bar Elects Wier as President". The Boston Globe.
10. {{Citation. Coolidge. Henry D.. "A Manual for the Use of the General Court". Massachusetts General Court. (1915)
11. (March 16, 2018). "Mansfield, Frederick W.".
12. (1936-10-16). "Tunnel to Cost $1,715,062". The Boston Globe.
13. "Collection: Mayor Frederick W. Mansfield collection {{!}} ArchivesSpace Public Interface".
14. (February 26, 1918). "REPORT BILL TO STOP CONSECUTIVE TERMS". [[The Boston Globe]].
15. {{Citation. Hevesi. Dennis. "William R. Mansfield, Federal Judge is Dead at 75". (January 8, 1987). The New York Times.
16. Walter R. Mansfield, at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges (accessed January 22, 2009).