John H. Corcoran

John Hubert Corcoran, Jr.
Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts
In office
1942 – December 28, 1945
Preceded by Francis C. Sennott
Succeeded by John D. Lynch
Member of the
Cambridge, Massachusetts
City Council
Personal details
Born January 15, 1897
Died December 28, 1945[1]
Boston, Massachusetts.[1]
Political party Democratic
Alma mater Harvard, A.B., 1918;
Harvard Business School MBA, 1920[2]
Military service
Service/branch Coast Artillery
United States Army
Years of service April 23, 1918–December 11, 1918[2]
Rank Private, Corporal, Lieutenant[2]
Commands Fort McKinley, Portland Maine
33rd Coast Artillery, Camp Abraham; Eustis, Virginia[2]
Battles/wars World War I

John Hubert Corcoran, Jr. (January 15, 1897-December 28, 1945) was a Massachusetts politician who served on the Cambridge, Massachusetts City Council and as the Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Corcoran's father, John Hubert Corcoran, Sr. was a member and President of the Cambridge Common Council and the Cambridge Board of Aldermen.[3]

Contents

Early life

Corcoran was born on January 15, 1897 to John Hubert Corcoran, Sr. and Ann M. (Ford) Corcoran.[3]

Education

Corcoran attended Harvard College, he graduated with an A.B. in 1918.[2] Corcoran received an MBA from Harvard[2] in June 1920.[4] Corcoan wrote his graduate theses on the Departmental Layout of the Proposed store of a Coöperative Society.[4]

World War I military service

On April 23, 1918 Corcoran enlisted as a Private in the U.S. Coast Artillery, he was assigned to Fort Strong in Boston Harbor.[2] Corcoran was promoted to Corporal on June 20, 1918.[2] On July 4, 1918 Corcoran was assigned to the Coast Artillery Officers Training Camp, Fort Monroe, Virginia and promoted to Lieutenant.[2] Corcoran was later transferred to Fort McKinley, Portland, Maine and the *33rd Coast Artillery, Camp Abraham Eustis, Virginia, he was discharged on December 11, 1918.[2]

Mayor of Cambridge

Cambridge voters changed the city government from a strong mayor to a Plan E (City Council-City Manager)[1] form of government, with Cambridge having a ceremonial mayor. Corcoran, a member of the Cambridge City Council in 1942 was chosen by his fellow councilors to be City's Ceremonial Mayor.

Candidate for U.S. Senate

In 1944 Massachusetts held a special election to fill the Senate seat formerly held by Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.. Lodge had resigned from the Senate to join the Army.[5] Corcoran was the Democratic nominee, he lost the election to Leverett Saltonstall by more than 400,000 votes.[6]

Death

Corcoran died unexpectedly, at age 48, from pneumonia in a Boston, Massachusetts hospital, on December 28, 1945.[1]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Hartford Courant (December 29, 1945), Obituary No. 2, Hartford, CT: The Hartford Courant, p. 4. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mead, Frederick Sumner (1921), Harvard's Military Record in the World War, Boston, MA: The Harvard Alumni Association, p. 216. 
  3. ^ a b Cutter, William Richard (1908), Historic Homes and Places and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts; Volume IV, New York, NY: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, p. 1977. 
  4. ^ a b Harvard University (1921), Official Register of Harvard University Vol. XVIII March 3, 1921 No. 7; Reports of the President and Treasurer of Harvard College 1919-1920, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, p. 131. 
  5. ^ The New York Times (August 28, 1944), HOST OF CHANGES IN SENATE CERTAIN; At Least 10 Incumbents, and Perhaps 12, Will Not Be Up for Re-election, New York, NY: The New York Times, p. 24. 
  6. ^ The New York Times (November 9, 1944), Summary of the Election Results in the States; WINS SEAT IN SENATE, New York, NY: The New York Times, p. 16. 
Political offices
Preceded by
John D. Lynch		 Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts
1942–1945		 Succeeded by
William F. Brooks
Party political offices
Preceded by
Joseph E. Casey		 Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Massachusetts
(Class II)
1944		 Succeeded by
John I. Fitzgerald