James Donovan (Boston politician)
James Donovan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Boston City Clerk | |
| In office 1912–1928 | |
| Preceded by | John T. Priest |
| Succeeded by | Wilfred J. Doyle |
| Member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council for the 4th District | |
| In office 1892–1894 | |
| Preceded by | Edward J. Flynn |
| Succeeded by | John H. Sullivan |
| Member of the Massachusetts Senate for the 4th Suffolk District | |
| In office 1889–1891 | |
| Preceded by | John H. Sullivan |
| Succeeded by | P. J. Kennedy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 28, 1859 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | January 19, 1929 (aged 69) South End, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
James Donovan (May 28, 1859 – January 19, 1929) was an American politician who held a number offices in the city of Boston. He served as a member of common council, both houses of the Massachusetts General Court, and the Massachusetts Governor's Council, was superintendent of lamps and streets, and spent 16 years as city clerk.
Biography
[edit]Donovan was born on May 28, 1859, in Boston.[1] His father died when Donovan was young and he began working in a provision store at the age of 11.[2] He began campaigning for Democratic candidates in his teens and at the age of 21 became the first ever Democrat elected to represent Ward 16 on the Boston common council.[2][3] He was defeated for reelection by A. Francis Richard, but contested the election on the grounds of fraud and irregularities on the part of precinct officers. Multiple witnesses testified before a special committee of the common council that they saw wardens in precincts 1, 2, and 3 mark a number of the ballots. The committee found Donovan's name scratched off of 27 ballots in precinct 1 and 11 in precinct 3. On March 8, 1883, four of the five committee members found that there was enough evidence of fraud in precents 1, 2, and 3 to recommend that the Council declare the seat vacant and hold a new election, while the fifth member, William F. Wharton, dissented because he believed that fraud was only proven in precinct 3 and these 11 ballots would not change the outcome of the election.[4] The council narrowly voted in favor of allowing Richard to retain his seat.[3]
Donovan was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1884 to 1888 and represented the Fourth Suffolk District in the Massachusetts Senate from 1889 to 1891.[1] From 1892 to 1894, he was a member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council.[2]
In 1893, Donovan was elected to succeed the deceased John H. McDonough as chairman of the Democratic city committee.[5] He resigned to accept the position of superintendent of lamps, which he held from 1896 to 1900.[6] In 1901 he was unanimously elected to his former position of city committee chairman.[7] He led the Democrats' successful 1901 campaign, which included Patrick Collins' victory in that year's mayoral election.[3] After initially refusing, Donovan accepted Collins' offer to become superintendent of streets.[8] He was unanimously confirmed by the board of aldermen on January 13, 1902.[9] He, along with P. J. Kennedy and Joseph A. Corbett formed Collins' "Kitchen Cabinet".[10] Although Donovan stepped down as city chairman, he continued to lead the Ward 9 (formerly Ward 16) Democratic party while serving as commissioner.[11] He, along with most of the Democratic party machine, endorsed Edward J. Donovan in the 1905 Boston mayoral election.[12] Donovan lost the Democratic primary to John F. Fitzgerald, who went on to win the election. On January 2, 1906, James Donovan resigned as street commissioner.[13]
On January 20, 1906, Donovan married Henrietta Louise Webber in a small ceremony in the rectory of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.[14] He was the Democratic nominee for sheriff of Suffolk County, Massachusetts, in 1907 but lost to incumbent Fred H. Seavey.[15]
In 1909, Donovan was again elected head of the Democratic city committee.[16] He endorsed James J. Storrow in the nonpartisan 1910 Boston mayoral election.[17]
On April 16, 1912, Donovan was elected city clerk to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John T. Priest.[18] He resigned on November 27, 1928, due to ill health.[19] He died on January 19, 1929, at his home in Boston's South End.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Annual Register of the Executive and Legislative Departments of the Government of Massachusetts, 1891" (PDF), Journal of the Senate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts – via State Library of Massachusetts
- ^ a b c "Was a Butcher's Boy". The Boston Globe. June 8, 1901. p. 6. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Up From A Market Boy". The Boston Globe. December 29, 1901. p. 32. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Common Council". The Boston Globe. March 9, 1883. p. 4. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Met to Mourn". The Boston Globe. April 29, 1893. p. 4. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Donovan Resigns". The Boston Globe. February 15, 1900. p. 6. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "His Warning". The Boston Globe. January 23, 1901. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "He Will Accept". The Boston Globe. December 24, 1901. p. 1. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Unanimous for Donovan". The Boston Globe. January 14, 1902. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Former City Clerk James Donovan Dies". The Boston Globe. January 19, 1929. pp. 1, 5. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Still at the Helm". The Boston Globe. September 28, 1902. p. 40. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Machine Comes Out for Donovan". The Boston Globe. October 19, 1905. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Logue Holds Three Places". The Boston Globe. January 3, 1906. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "In The Rectory". The Boston Globe. January 21, 1906. p. 28. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Guild Elected by 104,000, Moran Has County By 27,000". The Boston Globe. November 6, 1907. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Donovan is Head of City Committee". The Boston Globe. January 12, 1909. pp. 1, 5. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Donovan Comes Out for Storrow". The Boston Globe. November 23, 1909. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Donovan Chosen as City Clerk". The Boston Globe. April 17, 1912. p. 3. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Donovan Resigns City Clerk's Office". The Boston Globe. November 28, 1928. pp. 1, 9. Retrieved July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.