John C. Carr (mayor)
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John C. Carr (1891/1892 – June 27, 1967) was an American politician who served as
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of
Medford, Massachusetts Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus on both sides of the Medford and Somervill ...
, Chairman of the
Massachusetts Democratic Party The Massachusetts Democratic Party (MassDems) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in Massachusetts. It is chaired by Steve Kerrigan and is the dominant party in the state, controlling all nine of the state's ...
, and City Manager of Medford.


Early life

Carr was born in
Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...
, and raised in Charlestown. He was the seventh of thirteen children born to Frank and Bridget (Berkeley) Carr, Irish immigrants who met and married in the United States. At the age of 21 he passed a civil service examination and got a job as a teller's clerk in the Boston Collectors office. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Carr served in the United States military. He married Florence Brennan in 1915. Two years later they moved to Medford. Their children include John C. Carr, Jr., who ran for US congress in
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...
.


Board of Aldermen

In 1931, Carr was elected to the Medford Board of Aldermen. He moved to
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
, for business the following year, however he later returned to Medford and served two more terms on the Board. While on the Board, Carr led the effort to eradicate
diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...
in the city.


Mayor

Carr was elected mayor in 1937 in a non-partisan election. He was reelected in 1939 and 1941 as a member of the Democratic Party. During Carr's tenure, the city undertook a building program that replaced the city's final four wooden schools with modern structures and added a 2400-seat auditorium to the High School. He also left Medford with a surplus while maintaining the same tax rate the city had when he entered office. In 1940, Carr ran for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. He lost the Democratic primary to Owen A. Gallagher by 78 votes. Two years later, Carr won the nomination unopposed, but lost in the general election to Republican incumbent Horace T. Cahill. During his final term, Carr resigned to enter the armed forces. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Carr rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and served as Military Governor of
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
and
Tacloban Tacloban ( ; ), officially the City of Tacloban (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city on Leyte island in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, Tacloban has a popu ...
. He was the Democratic nominee for mayor in 1947, but lost to incumbent Walter E. Lawrence by 808 votes.


Party Chairman

On November 20, 1949, Carr was elected Chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party in a special election to finish the term of the deceased James Vahey. His candidacy was supported by Paul A. Dever,
Maurice J. Tobin Maurice Joseph Tobin (May 22, 1901July 19, 1953) was an American politician serving as 46th Mayor of Boston, the 56th Governor of Massachusetts and 6th United States Secretary of Labor. He was a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Dem ...
,
James Michael Curley James Michael Curley (November 20, 1874 – November 12, 1958) was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served four terms as mayor of Boston between 1914 and 1955. Curley ran for mayor in every election for which he ...
, and
John William McCormack John William McCormack (December 21, 1891 – November 22, 1980) was an American politician from Boston, Massachusetts. McCormack served in the United States Army during World War I, and afterwards in the Massachusetts State Senate before winnin ...
. He was reelected in 1952, however his election was challenged by William H. Burke, Jr. On December 15, 1955, the
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the distinction of being the oldest continuously fu ...
ruled that Carr's reelection was not legal. On January 11, 1956, both sides came to an agreement and Burke was elected chairman.


City Manager

Carr was appointed City Manager on April 13, 1961, by a 4 to 3 vote. Carr's appointment was challenged by his opponents, as they believed City Councilor John C. Carr, Jr.'s vote for his father was a conflict-of-interest. They also believed he was too old to serve, as the 69-year-old Carr would be forced into mandatory retirement in 11 months. The appointment was upheld by the Middlesex County District Attorney. During his tenure as City Manager, Carr promoted the construction of the Public Safety Building and the Kennedy School. In the 1961 election, seven candidates endorsed by the Plan E Civic Association, an organization devoted to removing Carr from office, were elected to the City Council. On January 16, 1962, the Council unanimously voted to dismiss Carr. Carr died on June 27, 1967, in Medford, at 75 years of age.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, John C. 1967 deaths City managers of Medford, Massachusetts Massachusetts Democratic Party chairs Mayors of Medford, Massachusetts Politicians from Boston 1890s births