1937 Boston mayoral election

← 1933

November 2, 1937

1941 →


Candidate	Maurice J. Tobin	James Michael Curley
Party	Nonpartisan	Nonpartisan
Popular vote	105,212	80,376
Percentage	38.56%	29.46%


Candidate	Malcolm Nichols	William J. Foley
Party	Nonpartisan	Nonpartisan
Popular vote	55,247	28,184
Percentage	20.25%	10.33%

Mayor before election

Frederick Mansfield

Elected Mayor

Maurice J. Tobin

Federal government

U.S. President
1788–89 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 Dem 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 Dem 2004 Dem GOP 2008 Dem GOP 2012 2016 Dem GOP 2020 Dem GOP 2024 Dem GOP
U.S. Senate
Class 1: 1788 1790 1796 (S) 1796 1798 1800 (S) 1803 1808 (S) 1810 (S) 1811 1813 (S) 1815 1815 (S) 1816 (S) 1818 (S) 1820 1820 (S) 1822 1826 1827 1829 (S) 1833 1839 February 1841 (S) 1845 1851 1851 (S) 1857 1863 1869 1874 (S) 1875 1881 1887 1893 1899 1905 1911 1916 1922 1928 1934 1940 1946 1952 1958 1962 (S) 1964 1970 1976 1982 1988 1994 2000 2006 2010 (S) 2012 2018 2024 Class 2: 1788 1793 1796 1800 (S) 1803 (S) 1805 1810 1811 (S) 1816 1822 (S) 1826 (S) 1828 1835 January 1841 (S) 1841 1845 (S) 1847 1853 1855 (S) 1859 1865 1871 1873 (S) 1877 1883 1889 1895 1901 1905 (S) 1907 1913 1918 1924 1930 1936 1942 1944 (S) 1948 1954 1960 1966 1972 1978 1984 1990 1996 2002 2008 2013 (S) 2014 2020
U.S. House
1788/1789 1790/1792 1792/1793 1794/1795 1796/1797 1798/1799 1800/1801 1802/1803 1804 1806 1808 1810/1811 1812/1813 1814/1815 3rd 1816/1817 1818/1819 1820/1821 1822/1823 1824/1825 1826/1827 1828 1830/1832 1833/1834 1834/1835 1836 1838/1839 1840/1841 1842/1844 1844/1846 1846 1848/1850 1850/1851 1852 1854 1856 1858 1860 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1991 (1st) 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2001 (9th) 2002 2004 2006 2007 (5th) 2008 2010 2012 2013 (5th) 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022

State government

Governor
1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 Apr. 1831 Nov. 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
State Senate
1787 1824 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
State House
2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2020 2022
Governor's Council
2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2024
Ballot measures
1980: Proposition 2½ 2002: English Language Education in Public Schools 2006: 2008 Greyhound Protection Sensible Marijuana Policy State Income Tax Repeal 2010: No Sales Tax for Alcohol Sales Tax Relief Comprehensive Permits and Regional Planning 2012: Right to Repair Death with Dignity Medical Marijuana 2014: Automatic Gas Tax Increase Repeal Expansion of Bottle Deposits Casino Repeal Paid Sick Days 2016: Expand Slot Machine Gaming Charter School Expansion Farm Animal Confinement Legalization, Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana 2018: Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination 2020: pending

Boston

Mayor
1822 1823 1824 Apr 1825 Dec 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844–45 Dec 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853–54 Dec 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1910 1914 1917 1921 1925 1929 1933 1937 1941 1945 1949 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025
City council
1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023

Springfield

The Boston mayoral election of 1937 occurred on Tuesday, November 2, 1937. Boston School Committee member Maurice J. Tobin defeated five other candidates, including former mayors James Michael Curley and Malcolm Nichols.

In 1918, the Massachusetts state legislature had passed legislation making the Mayor of Boston ineligible to serve consecutive terms.^[1] Thus, incumbent Frederick Mansfield was unable to run for re-election. The law would be changed in 1939, making this the last election where the incumbent mayor could not run for re-election.^[2]

Tobin was inaugurated on Monday, January 3, 1938.^[3]

Candidates[edit]

Carleton L. Brett, former Boston police officer
James Michael Curley, governor of Massachusetts from 1935 to 1937, Mayor of Boston from 1914 to 1918, 1922 to 1926, 1930 to 1934, and member of the United States House of Representatives from 1913 to 1914
William J. Foley, district attorney of Suffolk County since 1927
Malcolm Nichols, mayor of Boston from 1926 to 1930
Alfred Santosuosso, lawyer
Maurice J. Tobin, member of the Boston School Committee since 1931

Results[edit]

Candidates	General Election^[4]
Candidates	Votes	%
Maurice J. Tobin	105,212	38.56
James Michael Curley	80,376	29.46
Malcolm Nichols	55,247	20.25
William J. Foley	28,184	10.33
Alfred Santosuosso	2,927	1.07
Carleton L. Brett	543	0.19
All others	337	0.12

References[edit]

^ "REPORT BILL TO STOP CONSECUTIVE TERMS". The Boston Globe. February 26, 1918. p. 6. Retrieved March 12, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
^ "SECOND TERM WINS IN BOSTON". The Boston Globe. November 8, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Tobin Becomes Mayor Today, Notables to Attend Ceremony". The Boston Globe. January 3, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved March 16, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
^ Annual Report of the Election Department. Boston [Election Dept.] 1937. p. 40.

Further reading[edit]

"Tobin Becomes Hub's Youngest Mayor In 32 Years". Fitchburg Sentinel. November 3, 1937 – via newspapers.com.

v t e (1936←) 1937 United States elections (→1938)
U.S. Senate	Arkansas (Special)
U.S. House	California 10th sp Kentucky 2nd sp Massachusetts 7th sp 11th sp New York 17th 25th sp 27th sp Oklahoma 5th sp Pennsylvania 17th sp 18th sp Texas 10th sp Virginia 3rd sp
Governors	New Jersey Virginia
Mayors	Boston, MA Cleveland, OH Evansville, IN Los Angeles, CA Manchester, NH Pittsburgh, PA

v t e Boston
Topics	Accent Annual events Architecture Arts Bibliography Boston Marathon bombing COVID-19 pandemic Culture Demographics Diplomatic missions Economy Education Colleges and universities Geography Historic Places Northern Southern History Timeline Media Nicknames People Politics Port Public Library Public Schools Sister cities Skyscrapers Songs Transportation
Attractions	Boston Common Boston Convention and Exhibition Center Boston Irish Famine Memorial Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum Bunker Hill Monument Dorchester Heights Monument Faneuil Hall Fenway Park Franklin Park Zoo Freedom Trail Hynes Convention Center Institute of Contemporary Art Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Massachusetts State House Museum of Fine Arts Appeal to the Great Spirit Museum of Science New England Aquarium Old North Church Paul Revere House Symphony Hall TD Garden USS Constitution Museum
Business districts	Back Bay Downtown Fenway–Kenmore Financial District Government Center Innovation district North End Route 128 corridor South End List of companies in Boston
Government	City charter City council City Hall Elections Emergency Medical Services (EMS) FinComm Fire Housing (BHA) Mayor Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) Police
Neighborhoods	Allston–Brighton Allston Brighton Back Bay Bay Village Beacon Hill Downtown Boston Financial District Government Center Charlestown Chestnut Hill Chinatown Dorchester Columbia Point Upham's Corner East Boston Fenway–Kenmore Harbor Islands Hyde Park Readville Jamaica Plain Forest Hills Leather District Mattapan Mission Hill Longwood North End Roslindale Roxbury Fort Hill South Boston Fort Point Seaport South End West End West Roxbury
Sports	Boston Bruins Boston Celtics Boston Marathon Boston Red Sox New England Free Jacks New England Patriots New England Revolution
Suffolk County Greater Boston Massachusetts United States

This article related to Boston is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This Massachusetts elections–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Candidates[edit]

Results[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]