John Fitzgerald: Mayor of a Bigger, Better, Busier Boston

John Francis “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald (1863-1950) was a Boston politician and grandfather to President Kennedy. Early in his life, fateful events led John Fitzgerald into politics. He served as a State Senator, a U.S. Congressman, and the first American-born Irish mayor of Boston, MA. His life, career, and legacy assisted and influenced the rise of John F. Kennedy.

John Fitzgerald was born in Boston’s North End on February 11, 1863. His parents, Thomas and Rosanna, both fled Ireland during the Great Hunger. For years, Thomas Fitzgerald struggled in Acton, MA as a field hand, before deciding to join his family in Boston. He worked as a fish peddler and then opened a grocery, which he ran for the rest of his life. Though never rich, Thomas was able to earn enough money to move his family into a larger home in 1866.

One of twelve children, John Fitzgerald was determined to stand out and succeed. As a child, he strove to be the most athletic among his peers, often winning footraces or contests of strength against them. Early on, he showed ambition and a talent for working with others; he started a paper route and gave tours of Boston’s North End. A good student, he graduated from the prestigious Boston Latin School in 1884 and enrolled in Harvard Medical School. A year later, following his father’s sudden death, he left school and began working to support his younger siblings. It was that decision which would lead to his entry into Boston politics.

To learn more visit the National Park Service’s website here