James Michael Curley

Councilor Curley was born in the neighborhood of Roxbury on November 20, 1874, and was the second surviving son of his Irish immigrant parents. Curley’s parents escaped the Irish Potato Famine and relocated to Roxbury, where Curley would grow up and serve. In his adolescence, Curley attended Boston Public Schools and worked in factories, delivering to support his family following the death of his father.

Curley came of age at a time where Irish immigrants were beginning to gain political power, and Curley utilized his limited schooling and resourcefulness to find work in the real estate and insurance industries, and later break into the political sphere. Curley started his political career as a member of the Boston Common Council from 1900 to 1901. Following his term in Boston, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1911 to 1914, and then returned back to Boston to serve as mayor for three nonconsecutive terms. Curley served 1914 to 1918, 1922 to 1926, and 1930 to 1934. Curley was elected Governor of Massachusetts in 1934, and during his time as Governor, he made an effort to ease the damaging effects of the Great Depression as well as regulate banks and utility rates. He worked to advance old age pension laws, improve public work projects, and promote forest conservation. After completing his term, Curley left office on January 7, 1937. He continued to stay politically active, serving again in Congress from 1943 to 1947. He also was reelected mayor of Boston, serving from 1946 to 1950.

Curley passed away in 1958 and was remembered as a champion for the working class and dedicated to generosity throughout his political career. It is also believed that without his support, President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not have won the democratic nomination and would have never been president.