Nathaniel Bradstreet Shurtleff Sr. (June 22, 1810 – October 17, 1874) was an American politician, serving as the twentieth mayor of

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

from January 6, 1868, to January 2, 1871.

Early life

Nathaniel Bradstreet Shurtleff Sr. was born on June 22, 1810, in Boston. His father was Benjamin Shurtleff, a physician. He was initially educated in the

Boston Public Schools Boston Public Schools (BPS) is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest public school district in the state of Massachusetts. Leadership The district is led by a superintendent, hired by t ...

system but later transferred to the short lived

Round Hill School The Round Hill School for Boys was a short-lived experimental school in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was founded by George Bancroft and Joseph Cogswell in 1823. Though it failed as a viable venture — it closed in 1834 — it was an early effor ...

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

. After graduating, he attended

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

and followed his father's footsteps in becoming a physician. He was a member of the

Harvard Board of Overseers The Harvard Board of Overseers (more formally The Honorable and Reverend the Board of Overseers) is an advisory board of alumni at Harvard University. Unlike the Harvard Corporation, the Board of Overseers is not a fiduciary governing board, but in ...

Political career

Shurtleff, who had been defeated as the

Know Nothing The American Party, known as the Native American Party before 1855 and colloquially referred to as the Know Nothings, or the Know Nothing Party, was an Old Stock Americans, Old Stock Nativism in United States politics, nativist political movem ...

candidate for mayor in 1855 and as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

1865 Events January * January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City. * January 13 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Fort Fisher – Unio ...

and

1866 Events January * January 1 ** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee. ** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published. * January 6 – Ottoman troops clash ...

, was elected in 1867 as a Democrat. He won re-election in both

1868 Events January * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala, Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsu ...

and

1869 Events January * January 3 – Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan. * January 5 – Scotland's second oldest professional football team, Kilmarnock F.C., is founded. * January 20 – Elizabe ...

Mayoralty

Shurtleff was largely unaware how to run a city; and thus, struggled as mayor. During his mayoralty Atlantic Avenue was laid out, Federal Street was widened, and other streets were extended. The task of laying out streets was transferred from the

Board of Aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands ( wethouder) and Belgium ( schepen). The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking mem ...

to a board of commissioners during his mayoralty. The city also gained ownership of the East Boston ferries and annexed Dorchester while he was mayor.

Later life

Shurtleff did not run for a fourth term in the 1870 election. He died on October 17, 1874, at the age of 64.

Honors

Shurtleff was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

in 1849. He was chosen to serve on the society's board of councilors from 1853 to 1874. In 1857, he was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

Books

Shurtleff is well known to genealogists and historians as the editor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony records (published in five volumes from 1853 as ''Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England'') and of part of the Plymouth Colony records. *''A Topographical and Historical Description of Boston''.

References

Bibliography

* ''A Catalogue of the City Councils of Boston, 1822–1908, Roxbury, 1846–1867, Charlestown 1847-1873 and of The Selectmen of Boston, 1634-1822 also of Various Other Town and Municipal officers'', Boston, MA: City of Boston Printing Department, (1909) pp. 258–261. * ''Mayors of Boston: An Illustrated Epitome of who the Mayors Have Been and What they Have Done'', Boston, MA: State Street Trust Company, (1914) pp. 28–29.

External links

* * Open Library
Works by Nathaniel Bradstreet Shurtleff
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shurtleff, Nathaniel B. 1810 births 1874 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in Massachusetts Harvard Medical School alumni Physicians from Massachusetts Mayors of Boston Harvard University alumni Trustees of the Boston Public Library