1907 Boston mayoral election

The Boston mayoral election of 1907 was held on Tuesday, December 10,[1] and saw Republican nominee George A. Hibbard defeat Democratic incumbent John F. Fitzgerald as well as Independence League nominee John A. Coulthurst. Ahead of the general election, primary elections for each party had taken place on Thursday, November 14, 1907.

1907 Boston mayoral election

← 1905 December 10, 1907 1910 →
 
Candidate George A. Hibbard John F. Fitzgerald John A. Coulthurst
Party Republican Democratic Independence
Popular vote 38,112 35,935 15,811
Percentage 42.4% 40.0% 17.6%

Mayor before election

John F. Fitzgerald
Democratic

Elected mayor

George A. Hibbard
Republican

This was the final Boston mayoral election for a two-year term, and that was partisan in nature; a new city charter adopted in 1909 made the mayoral term four years, and made Boston municipal elections non-partisan.[2]

Hibbard was inaugurated on Monday, January 6, 1908.[3]

Results

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Note: In October, John A. Coulthurst was selected as the Independence League candidate, and he resigned his position as secretary of the Democratic state committee.[4] His still garnered some votes in the Democratic primary.

Democratic primary

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Candidates Primary Election[5]
Votes %
John F. Fitzgerald (incumbent) 21,848 96.5%
John A. Coulthurst 425 1.9%
all others 372 1.6%

Republican primary

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  • Frederic W. Bliss, lawyer, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1891–1894)[6]
  • William E. Hannan, Street Commissioner,[7] former member of the Boston Common Council (1901)
  • George A. Hibbard, Postmaster of Boston since 1899, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1894–1895)
Candidates Primary Election[8]
Votes %
George A. Hibbard 11,005 73.5%
William E. Hannan 2,637 17.6%
Frederic W. Bliss 1,296 8.7%
all others 37 0.2%

Independence League primary

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  • John A. Coulthurst, lawyer, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1902–1904)
Candidates Primary Election[9]
Votes %
John A. Coulthurst 372 99.7%
all others 1 0.3%

General election

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Candidates General Election[1][10]
Votes %
R George A. Hibbard 38,112 42.4%
D John F. Fitzgerald (incumbent) 35,935 40.0%
I John A. Coulthurst 15,811 17.6%
Scattering 13 0.0%
Total vote 89,871 100

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b A Catalogue of the City Councils of Boston, 1822-1908, Roxbury, 1846-1867, Charlestown, 1847-1873 and of the Selectmen of Boston, 1634-1822: Also of Various Other Town and Municipal Officers. City of Boston Printing Department. 1909. p. 56.
  2. ^ "New Boston Charter is the Worst Defeat Ever Given Boss Rule". The Marion Daily Mirror. Marion, Ohio. November 3, 1909. Retrieved March 17, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "NEW HAND AT HELM". The Boston Globe. January 7, 1908. p. 1. Retrieved March 17, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  4. ^ "COULTHURST FOR MAYOR". The Boston Globe. October 26, 1907. p. 8. Retrieved March 17, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "Annual Report of the Board of Election Commissioners". City of Boston. 1907. p. 146. Retrieved March 17, 2018 – via archive.org.
  6. ^ "Frederic Wright Bliss". usgennet.org. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  7. ^ "MORE ASPIRANTS FOR MAYOR'S JOB". The Boston Globe. November 10, 1907. p. 4. Retrieved March 17, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "Annual Report of the Board of Election Commissioners". City of Boston. 1907. p. 182. Retrieved March 17, 2018 – via archive.org.
  9. ^ "Annual Report of the Board of Election Commissioners". City of Boston. 1907. p. 170. Retrieved March 17, 2018 – via archive.org.
  10. ^ "Annual Report of the Board of Election Commissioners". City of Boston. 1907. p. 210. Retrieved March 17, 2018 – via archive.org.

Further reading

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