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Silent John Kerrigan of South Boston, was Acting Mayor of Boston in 1938 and 1945

John E. Kerrigan, a career politician who was called upon twice to serve as Acting Mayor of Boston, was born on October 1, 1908 in South Boston.  Kerrigan attended St. Augustine Grade School and South Boston High School and lived on West Eighth Street in South Boston all of his life. 

In addition to serving as Acting Mayor, Kerrigan was elected one term as a State Senator. But it was in the Boston City Council that Kerrigan made his mark.   He served 15 terms, non-consecutively, and was the City Council President three times.  In 1951, Kerrigan won 11 consecutive terms, serving 22 consecutive years

Kerrigan's mayoral duties both came when he was City Council President.  In 1938, when then-Mayor Maurice Tobin  was attending the American Legion Conference in Los Angeles, a sudden hurricane hit Boston.  Kerrigan temporarily stepped into the role of mayor and officially declared a State of Emergency.  He quickly engaged the Department of Public Works, Police and Fire, Hospitals and other agencies to alleviate human and physical damages caused by the storm.  By all accounts, Kerrigan performed the task admirably.

 Then in 1945, when then-Mayor Maurice Tobin won the election as Governor of Massachusetts, Kerrigan stepped in again as Acting Mayor, from January 4, 1945 until January 7, 1946.  He tried to win the seat in the November election, but he was roundly defeated by James M. Curley, by a margin of 111,799 votes to Kerrigan's 60,312 votes.   Kerrigan, who represented part of the South Boston district before being named acting mayor, won Wards 6 & 7 in South Boston.

During his concession speech, Kerrigan said, "I have endeavored to give the people of the City of Boston a good administration during the past 10 months. It has been a great honor to serve as mayor of this city - one which I will cherish all my life. I am deeply grateful to all those who worked so hard on my behalf and to the many thousands who honored me with their vote."

He retired from politics in 1973 and died suddenly on May 2, 1980 of a heart attack.  He is buried at New Calvary Cemetery in Mattapan.

During his career, he was known as Silent John, since he rarely spoke in a debate or in a public setting. Yet according to the publication, Boston's 45 Mayors, published by the City Record in 1975 and edited by Joseph J. Fahey, Kerrigan's career included many important advances.  He refinanced the building of the Sumner Tunnel, saving taxpayers $12 million.  "He supported anti-race bias bills in the years long before the civil rights push nationally," Fahey wrote, "and was a strong voice for urban renewal during the 1960s.

Here is a list of all Boston mayors of Irish ancestry from 1885 to the present. 

Learn more about Boston's Irish history by visiting IrishHeritageTrail.com.




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