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Hynes, John B., 1897-1970

 Person

Biographical Note

To John Bernard Hynes, city service was more a dedication than a career. During his forty years in municipal employ, he rose from junior clerk to become the city's forty-third chief executive, serving the entire decade of the pivotal 1950s.

Those were the times when the new concept of urban renewal was emerging to help American cities combat blight and decadence. Federal aid, however, was modest for such undertakings.

One of the major legacies of the Hynes administration is Prudential Center. He had the vision and laid the groundwork for plans to turn the bleak, blighted Back Bay trackage area into one of the anchors for Boston's intown revitalization. Although construction of the giant complex started under his successor, it was Mayor Hynes who acted on a Back Bay real estate man's development idea and did the early hard work to launch the project.

After his death in January, 1970, the former mayor was given his city's tribute with the naming of the John B. Hynes Memorial Auditorium at Prudential Center.

As a mayor, he was recognized for his love of Boston's traditions, his battle to hold down a spiraling tax rate, and his warmness. He was a lawyer and had a gift for composing poetry. As a former career employee, he found it difficult to phase out jobs and personnel when family breadwinners were involved.

John Hynes first experienced the responsibilities of mayor for five months in 1947, when, as city clerk he was designated to fill in as "temporary mayor" for Mayor James Michael Curley who had been sentenced to a federal institution. A chance remark by Mr. Curley upon his return to City Hall set the stage for John Hynes' challenging him and winning the next mayoral election in 1949.

Mayor John Hynes won again in 1951 when the new Plan A, "strong mayor" form of government, took effect. In 1955 he defeated State Senate President John E. Powers in a bitter fight.

Using powers of the new charter, Mayor Hynes during his tenure reduced the number of city departments from thirty-eight to twenty-six, and reorganized the Assessing, Fire, Library, Welfare, and Planning Departments. He also coordinated inspections among the Building, Fire, and Health Departments and established the Auditorium Commission and Government Center Commission to plan and erect the new City Hall.

He launched a building demolition program in an attack on blight, constructed the first incinerator in the city, established a new housing code, installed Univac in the Auditing Department, reclassified job titles in city service, and established the city's first Complaint Department.

The Boston Christmas Festival, a tradition that brings more than a million visitors each Yule season to Boston Common, was founded by Mayor Hynes.

In urban renewal he inaugurated a pilot rehabilitation project in Dorchester and saw the start of the New York streets commercial renewal development, South End, and the West End residential redevelopment.

A self-made man, John B. Hynes early charted his road to success. He went straight from grammar school to work as an office boy with the telephone company. After service in the Air Corps in World War I, he began his city employment as a Health Department clerk. He went to the Auditing Department and then as chief clerk in Mayor Curley's office. He went to law school nights and won a law degree from Suffolk University in 1927. Two years later he became assistant city clerk, and after service in World War II as a lieutenant colonel, became a city clerk in 1945.

As mayor, he served the longest continuous period in the office in Boston's history. As a "dean" of big city mayors, he was recognized in Washington on his trips for federal aid and as national president of the mayors' organization. He was also named the Democratic national committeeman for Massachusetts.

After leaving old City Hall, Mayor Hynes set up his law office a short distance away at 73 Tremont Street. He was shortly afterward named state Commissioner of Banks and Banking, and was elected a life trustee and treasurer of Suffolk University.

Throughout most of his municipal career he lived in a modest home at Druid Street, Dorchester, and retired there, dying at age seventy-two.



Taken from "Boston's 45 Mayors from John Phillips to Kevin H. White," City Record, Boston, 1979.

Found in 31 Collections and/or Records:

Basilica Vaticana Di San Pietro model

 Digital Image
Identifier: 0299001-005-002

Boarding jet plane for U.S. Conference of Mayors, Los Angeles, 1959 July 10

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 9
Identifier: 0299001-006-012

Cambridge and Warren Streets, Brighton

 Digital Image
Identifier: 0299001-005-027

Cambridge and Warren Streets, Brighton, 1951 September 17

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-027

Lights, Hemenway Street and Westland Avenue, 1951 August 9

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-022

Lights turned on, Minot Street and Neponset Avenue, Dorchester, 1951 July 16

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-019

Lights turned on, Minot Street and Neponset Avenue, Dorchester, 1951 July 16

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-020

Lights, Wachusett and Walk Hill Streets, 1951 August 9

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-021

Mayor Hynes at center gate, Boston Common to Public Garden, 1951 May 21

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-016

Mayor John B. Hynes, 1950-1951, 1952-1955, 1956-1959, undated

 Item
Identifier: 5210004_015_042
Scope and Contents From the Collection:

Photographs and other images collected by the Boston Landmarks Commission for reference use and for publications as well as photographs taken by the Landmarks Commission documenting their work and city neighborhoods.

Dates: undated

[Mayor John B. Hynes and Cardinal Cushing laying cornerstone], 1958

 Item — Box 47: Series VII, Folder: People
Identifier: 7020001-0290
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: 1958

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

Mayoral addresses

 Series
Identifier: 0200.001
Scope and Contents

Includes two compilation volumes of addresses from 1822-1867 and printed copies of annual and inaugural addresses of the Mayor from 1824-1980 with gaps.

Dates: 1822-1980 with gaps

New signal lights, Columbia Road at Edward Everett Square, 1951 May 17

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-012

New signal lights, Columbia Road at St. Kevin's Church, Upham's Corner, Dorchester, 1951 May 17

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-013

New traffic signals, Columbia Road at Seaver Street, 1951 May 17

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-014

Opening of Boston Traffic Commission Building, 1950 April 3

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 5
Identifier: 0299001-005-001

Pleasant Street and Savin Hill Avenue, 1951 July 16

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-018

Presentation Church, Brighton, 1951 September 17

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-026

Swearing-in, 1957 December 1

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 9
Identifier: 0299001-006-006

Traffic light at Parker and Ruggles Streets blessed and placed in operation, 1951 May 26

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-017

Traffic lights at Quincy, Townshend, and Warren Streets, 1951 October 29

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-028

[Traffic lights at Quincy, Townshend, and Warren Streets], 1951 October 29

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-029

Traffic lights, Walnut Avenue and Seaver Street, circa 1951

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-023

[Traffic signal at unknown location], circa 1951-1952

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-035

[Traffic signal at unknown location in Dorchester], circa 1951-1952

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-033

[Traffic signal at Walk Hill Street], circa 1951-1952

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-034

[West Street and Central Avenue], circa 1951-1952

 Item — Box 5: Series III; Series V; Series IV; Series VI; Series VII, Folder: 6
Identifier: 0299001-005-032