November 3, 1929

Mayor Curley Jeopardizes Election

Region:
Greater Boston

On this day in 1929, James Michael Curley, heavily favored to win his third term as mayor of Boston, used a radio appearance to defame a school committee member who had spoken out against him. The savage, and ungrounded, attack was unprecedented: his adversary was a woman, a wife, a mother, and popular civic volunteer. Curley's tactic of "do unto others before they do you" backfired, and he barely squeaked out a victory in the election two days later. One local newspaper would call it "one of the most dramatic incidents in the whole history of Boston politics." Between 1914 and 1950, the charismatic and resilient Irishman served four terms as Boston's mayor, one term as Massachusetts governor, and two terms in jail.

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