John F. Collins

John F. Collins
Portrait of Collins in the 1960s
Mayor of Boston
In office
January 4, 1960[1] – January 1, 1968[2]
Preceded byJohn Hynes
Succeeded byKevin White
Member of the
Massachusetts Senate
In office
1951–1955
Preceded byChester A. Dolan Jr.
Succeeded byJames W. Hennigan Jr.
Constituency5th Suffolk
Member of the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office
1949–1951
Preceded byVincent A. Mannering
Succeeded byTimothy J. McInerney, Philip Anthony Tracy, and David J. O'Connor
Constituency10th Suffolk
In office
1947–1949
Preceded byFrederick R. Harvey and Vincent A. Mannering
Succeeded byGeorge Greene and Louis K. Nathanson
Constituency11th Suffolk
Personal details
Born
John Frederick Collins

July 20, 1919
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedNovember 23, 1995(1995-11-23) (aged 76)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting placeSt. Joseph Cemetery in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
(m. 1946)
Alma materSuffolk University Law School
ProfessionLawyer
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1941-1946
RankCaptain
UnitCounterintelligence Corps
Battles/warsWorld War II

John Frederick Collins (July 20, 1919 – November 23, 1995) was an American lawyer who served as the mayor of Boston from 1960 to 1968. Collins was a lawyer who served in the Massachusetts Legislature from 1947 to 1955. He and his children caught polio during a 1955 outbreak. He was reliant on a wheelchair and crutches the rest of his life. After partially recovering, he ran for mayor in 1959 as an underdog. He successfully portrayed himself as outside corrupt "machine politics" and was elected.

As mayor, Collins is most remembered for a massive urban redevelopment program, which was spearheaded by Edward J. Logue and the Boston Redevelopment Authority and led to a rejuvenation of business in Boston. The city's seafront began changing into the business and tourist-friendly district seen in later decades. His actions were emulated by urban planners around the country, and the campaign was credited by later mayors as ensuring that Boston did not continue shrinking.

Later in his second term, Collins made an unsuccessful run in the Democratic primary of the 1966 United States Senate election in Massachusetts. After leaving politics, he worked as a visiting professor and lecturer.

  1. ^ "Collins Will Take Oath Today". The Boston Globe. January 4, 1960. p. 1. Retrieved March 17, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  2. ^ "'New Inaugural' in Traditional Boston Setting Today". The Boston Globe. January 1, 1968. p. 3. Retrieved March 17, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.