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Boston (Mass.). Office of the Mayor

 Organization

Historical note

Boston was incorporated as a city on February 23, 1822 by Chapter 110 of the Acts of 1821. This act was adopted by the voters on March 4, 1822. The City Charter established the form of government as a Mayor; a Board of Aldermen, consisting of eight elected at large; and a Common Council, of forty-eight elected by wards; to be called when conjoined, ‘the City Council.” The Mayor and Aldermen were vested with the administration of the police, and executive power of the corporation generally, with specific enumerated powers. All other powers belonging to the corporation were vested in the Mayor, Aldermen and Common Council exercised by concurrent vote.

Found in 51 Collections and/or Records:

A memorial of Alexander Hamilton Rice, from the City of Boston., 1896

 Item — Volume 36
Scope and Contents From the Series:

Memorial volumes ordered to be printed by the City Council. Includes memorials of prominent men, anniversary celebrations and dedications of buildings and monuments.

Dates: 1896

A memorial of Patrick Collins, from the City of Boston., 1906

 Item — Volume 42
Scope and Contents From the Series:

Memorial volumes ordered to be printed by the City Council. Includes memorials of prominent men, anniversary celebrations and dedications of buildings and monuments.

Dates: 1906

Acting Mayor Kim Janey records

 Series
Identifier: 0248.002
Scope and Contents

Records of the administration of Acting Mayor Kim Janey who served the remainder of the term of Mayor Martin J. Walsh upon his resignation on March 22, 2021 until the swearing in of Mayor Michelle Wu on November 16, 2021. Includes speeches, remarks, briefings, reports and other files. Topics covered include COVID-19, public safety, education, etc.

Dates: 2021

Board of Commissioners of the Summer Street Fire Loan records

 Series
Identifier: 0200.022
Scope and Contents

Includes the proceedings of the Board from December 20, 1872-March 17, 1873 and a list entitled "Memo" recording inquiries made to the Board.

Dates: 1872-1873

Boston Marathon Bombing response mail

 Collection
Identifier: 0247.003
Scope and Contents note

This collection consists of international and domestic mail sent to the Mayor’s Office after the April 15, 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. It includes letters, cards, posters, banners, gifts, and some printed emails. Correspondents include government dignitaries and officials as well as members of the general public. A large portion of the collection is comprised of mail sent by groups of children.

Dates: 2013

Boston's 45 Mayors

 Digital Work
Identifier: 0200.009

Circular letters

 Series
Identifier: 0200.008
Scope and Contents note

Letters sent by the Mayor to all department heads. These volumes include the circular letters received by the Fire Commissioner.

Dates: 1930-1974 with gaps

City Record

 Collection
Identifier: 0200.007
Scope and Contents

Includes bound volumes of issues of the City Record from 1898-1900, 1909-1960, 1972 October-1980 and 1984-1988 and loose copies of the City Record from 1969-1988 with gaps and 2000-2010 with gaps.

Dates: 1898-2010 with gaps

City Record Office publications

 Series
Identifier: 0200.009
Dates: 1975

Complaint register

 Item — Volume 1
Identifier: 0200.003
Scope and Contents

Register recording complaints made to the Mayor's Office from 1885-1888. Includes date, name of person, complaint and disposition.

Dates: 1885-1888

Dedication ceremony for the Mayor James M. Curley statue

 Digital Record
Identifier: Box 220 Folder 21
Dates: 1980 September 18

Deputy Mayor Katherine Kane collection

 Collection
Identifier: 0245.003
Scope and Contents

Records donated by former Deputy Mayor Katherine Kane who served under Mayor Kevin H. White. Includes records relating to Boston 200, Cultural Affairs and the Arts. This collection is unprocessed.

Dates: circa 1968-1983

Doris B. Bunte v. Mayor of Boston case files

 Series
Identifier: 0700.035
Dates: 1971-1972

Ephemera

 Collection
Identifier: 0200.010
Dates: 1862-1927 with gaps

Executive Department reports

 Series
Identifier: 0200.005
Scope and Contents

Bound volumes of departmental annual reports submitted to the Mayor. Annual reports can also be found in the City Documents series.

Dates: 1890-1911 with gaps

Intergovernmental Relations records

 Series
Identifier: 0275.001
Scope and Contents

Subject files pertaining to topics such as Boston's bids for the 2000 and 2004 Democratic National Conventions, City to City Boston's Leadership Exchange, remarks and Correspondence of Mayors Flynn and Menino, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Also includes photographs and videotapes from Boston's bid for the 2000 Democratic National Convention.

Dates: 1988-2003

[Kathryn White with two unidentified people at hospital desk], 1978 May 26

 Item — Box 47: Series VII, Folder: People
Identifier: 7020001-0306
Scope and Contents From the Collection: This collection documents the history of the Boston City Hospital from 1864-1996. Parts of this collection were originally in the custody of the Boston City Hospital Library. The collection includes Board of Trustees minutes and records; published reports of the hospital; administrative files of the hospital and of the library; financial records of the hospital; historical files and news clippings compiled by the library over time; holdings of the library including medical texts dating...
Dates: 1978 May 26

Licensing Division records

 Series
Identifier: 0241.002
Scope and Contents

This series documents the correspondence of Mayor Maurice J. Tobin's Licensing Division. Correspondence from between 1940 and 1945. The correspondence is both loose and pasted into a scrapbook. Mayor Tobin's Licensing Division's correspondence primarily pertains to the use of public space by organizations. Organizations include the United States Coast Guard and the Boston Socialist Labor Party.

Dates: 1940-1945

Mayor Frederick W. Mansfield collection

 Collection
Identifier: 0240.001
Scope and Contents note This series contains 10 boxes of scrapbooks, 1 box of ephemera (in box 11), and 1 box of framed certificates (in box 12). The only notable gaps in time between scrapbooks are August 13 1934 - September 29, 1934 and September 3, 1935 and October 8, 1935. Box 11 contains a guest book ranging from February 7, 1934 to January 31, 1938, four copies of speeches (1 inauguration speech, and 3 annual addresses), 2 pages of a copied newspaper article, and a pamphlet issued to attendees of the...
Dates: 1934-1938

Mayor James M. Curley collection

 Collection
Identifier: 0237.001
Scope and Contents The Mayor James M. Curley collection includes materials created by and created about James Michael Curley during his long political career. The collection includes materials pertaining to periods during his time as Mayor of Boston as well as during his tenure as Governor of Massachusetts and as member of the United States House of Representatives. The collection includes correspondence, scrapbooks, speeches, audiovisual materials, writings, and various forms of memorabilia. Included with the...
Dates: 1912-1977, undated

Mayor John B. Hynes collection

 Collection
Identifier: 0243.001
Scope and Contents

The Mayor John B. Hynes collection contains personal papers of the former mayor collected after his time in office. The papers include personal correspondence, employment and miltary service records, and various forms of personal memorabilia including certificates, awards, diplomas, poetry and writings, photographs, newspaper clippings, and multiple scrapbooks. The scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings and articles from Hynes's early tenure as mayor in 1950 and 1951.

Dates: 1891-1893, 1915-1966, undated

Mayor John F. Collins photographs

 Collection
Identifier: 0244.002
Scope and Contents

Photographs documenting the administration of Mayor John F. Collins, 1960-1967.

Dates: circa 1960-1967

Mayor John F. Collins records

 Collection
Identifier: 0244.001
Scope and Contents

Records of the administration of Mayor John F. Collins, 1960-1967. Includes correspondence, subject files, reports, briefings, speeches, photographs and memorabilia.

Dates: circa 1960-1967

[Mayor Kevin H. White at podium with "Dapper" O'Neil], 1978 May 10

 Item — Box 47: Series VII, Folder: People
Identifier: 7020001-0291
Scope and Contents From the Collection: This collection documents the history of the Boston City Hospital from 1864-1996. Parts of this collection were originally in the custody of the Boston City Hospital Library. The collection includes Board of Trustees minutes and records; published reports of the hospital; administrative files of the hospital and of the library; financial records of the hospital; historical files and news clippings compiled by the library over time; holdings of the library including medical texts dating...
Dates: 1978 May 10

Mayor Kevin H. White records

 Collection
Identifier: 0245.001
Scope and Contents note When Mayor Kevin H. White left office in 1983, he gifted the records of his administration to the Boston Public Library, as at that time there was no city archives. The records were closed sometime after that by the Attorney General and research was restricted. In the early 1990s, Dick Dray, a former advisor under Mayor White, doing business as Boston Research Associates, attempted to organize and describe the records with the intention of writing a book on Mayor White. At some point, this...
Dates: 1929-1999 (bulk, 1968-1983)

Mayor Malcolm E. Nichols collection

 Collection
Identifier: 0239.001
Scope and Contents note A majority of the documents in this collection, in particular the correspondence, are from the years after Nichols served as mayor. Many of the documents are speeches written by Nichols for radio addresses to the public as well as general addresses, lectures, and commencements. There are two photographs in this collection and two books. One book contains circulars, newspaper clippings, and campaign ephemera, all from 1925. The second book, titled "The Standard Diary 1933"...
Dates: circa 1926-1929

Mayor Martin J. Walsh records

 Collection
Identifier: 0248.001
Dates: 2014-2021

Mayor Maurice J. Tobin scrapbooks

 Collection
Identifier: 0241.001
Scope and Contents note The records in this series include scrapbooks containing solely newspaper clippings. Box 1 contains a black book with no visible volume number that contains newspaper clippings from Tobin's campaigning days. Boxes 1 and 2 cover the years 1940 to 1942 which is the bulk of Tobin's time as mayor and neither box contains notable gaps. Box 3 continues the timeline of prior 2 boxes but with an 8 month gap between the last two volumes and the volume before it. Box #4 is timelined from 1942 to...
Dates: 1937-1943 with gaps

Mayor Raymond L. Flynn records

 Collection
Identifier: 0246.001
Scope and Contents note The Mayor Raymond L. Flynn collection includes the records of the mayoral administration of Raymond L. Flynn, the 46th Mayor of Boston, who served from 1984-1993. The collection is divided into the following series: I. Subject files; II. Briefings; III: Correspondence; IV. Issue files; V. Press Office records; VI. Reports and publications; VII. Executive orders; VIII. Photographs; IX. A/V material; and X. Artifacts. The records of the Flynn administration document the many issues facing...
Dates: 1984-1993