Theodore D. Mann (May 13, 1922 – April 9, 1994) was an American politician who was the longest-serving mayor of

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located roughly west of Downtown Boston, and comprises a patchwork of thirteen villages. The city borders Boston to the northeast and southeast (via the neighborhoods of ...

. He was also the city's first

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

mayor.

Biography

Mann was born on May 13, 1922 in

Boston 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 ...

, Massachusetts. Before being elected Mayor, Mann served four terms as a member of the Newton Board of Aldermen (from 1958–1965), was on the

Massachusetts Attorney General The Massachusetts attorney general is an elected constitutionally defined executive officer of the Massachusetts government. The officeholder is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The officeholder ...

's Consumer Advisory Council, and was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1965–1972. During his tenure as Mayor, there were a number of city improvements. While Mann was a Republican, he was able to build coalitions across party lines. The new main Newton Free Library was built and dedicated to him shortly after he died. The recycling program was expanded. Mann was a 'hands on' mayor, and never failed to show up at any Newton event until he was on his deathbed at

Newton-Wellesley Hospital Newton-Wellesley Hospital (NWH) is a community teaching medical center located in Newton, Massachusetts on Washington Street. It is affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School. Founded in 1881, part of its ca ...

. He was part of the mission to Poland for the purpose of meeting with mayors in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

and

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

to work with newly elected officials on how to govern in an atmosphere still clouded due to 30 years of

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

rule. He was the son of Hyman "Honey" Mann and Lillian Epstein Mann. Hyman Mann was a state representative in the 1930s. Mann, affectionately known as "Teddy," had two siblings: Thelma Mann Barkin (1926–1995) and Robert Ralph Mann (1924–). He was married to the former Florence Ober and together they had five children, Leslie, Richard, Eric, Debbie and, Stacie. As of 2011, each of Mann's five children had two children, one of whom has had two children as well, making Teddy a grandfather of 10 and great-grandfather of 2. Mann died on April 9, 1994 in

References

Massachusetts city council members Mayors of Newton, Massachusetts 1922 births 1994 deaths Boston College alumni Boston University alumni Businesspeople from Massachusetts Jewish American people in Massachusetts politics Jewish American mayors Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American Jews 20th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court {{Massachusetts-MARepresentative-stub