Melvin B. Clifford

Last updated
Melvin B. Clifford
Mayor of Brockton, Massachusetts
In office
1950–1951
Preceded by Thomas J. Mullins (acting)
Succeeded by C. Gerald Lucey
City Manager of Brockton, Massachusetts
In office
1961–1961
Preceded by William A. Gildea
Succeeded by William A. Gildea
In office
1961–1962
Preceded by William A. Gildea
Succeeded by Position abolished
Personal details
Political party Republican
Occupation Auto mechanic
Teacher
Roofing contractor
Mayor
City Clerk

Melvin B. Clifford was a politician who served as Mayor of Brockton, Massachusetts from 1950 to 1951.

Brockton, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts

Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 95,314 in the 2015 Census. Brockton, along with Plymouth, are the county seats of Plymouth County. Brockton is the seventh largest city in Massachusetts and is sometimes referred to as the "City of Champions", due to the success of native boxers Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler, as well as its successful Brockton High School sports programs. Two of the villages within the city are Montello and Campello, both have the distinction of having their own MBTA Commuter Rail Stations and post offices. Campello is the smallest neighborhood in the city, but also the most populous. Brockton hosts a baseball team, the Brockton Rox. Brockton is one of the windiest cities in the United States, with an average wind speed of 14.3 mph.

Contents

Early life

Clifford grew up in Brockton. During his youth, he took part in auto races at the Brockton Fair. [1]

Business career

Clifford owned his own auto repair shop. He then worked as a Drivers Ed teacher at Brockton High School. Before becoming Mayor, Clifford worked as a roofing contractor. [1]

Brockton High School, established in 1870, is a high school located in Brockton, Massachusetts. It is a part of Brockton Public Schools. As of 2016 Brockton High School, with 4,250 students, is one of the largest high schools in the United States and the largest high school in Massachusetts. Although widely stated by locals to be the largest high school East of the Mississippi River, it is in fact false, as this title is currently held by Brooklyn Technical High School in New York City. Brockton High School's colors are Black & Red and their mascot is the Boxers, which is a reference to the storied boxing history of the city, and also a tribute to hall-of-fame boxers Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler, who are both from Brockton and alumni of Brockton High School.

Politics

City Council

In 1947, Clifford was elected to the Brockton City Council in his first bid for elected office. During his tenure he fought Mayor Joseph H. Downey on many issues. [1]

Mayor

In 1949, Clifford made a last-minute decision to challenge Downey. On November 8, 1949, Clifford defeated Thomas P. Downey 14,444 votes to 14,154. Downey was a late substitute for his brother, who died five days before the election. [1]

Clifford was sworn in on January 2, 1950. In his inaugural address, Clifford promised economy in government, efforts to stop gambling, and an end to the misuse of city vehicles. [2]

Clifford was defeated in his bid for reelection by Democrat C. Gerald Lucey 14,667 votes to 14,232. [3]

City Clerk

In 1956 he was appointed City Clerk by Mayor Hjalmar Peterson. [4] On April 20, 1961, he was named temporary city manager after William A. Gildea was fired. On November 1, a judge ruled that Gildea was to be reinstated and Clifford was to be removed from office. [5] However the decision was overturned on appeal and Clifford served acting manager until the position was eliminated following the inauguration of Mayor F. Milton McGrath.

Related Research Articles

John Hynes (politician) mayor of Boston

John Bernard Hynes, was the Mayor of Boston from 1950 to 1960.

Mayor of Boston

The Mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor-council system of government. Boston's mayoral elections are non-partisan, and elect a mayor to a four-year term; there are no term limits. The mayor's office is in Boston City Hall, in Government Center.

Ralph Sherman Bauer was a Massachusetts politician who served as the 38th Mayor of Lynn, Massachusetts.

Philip Kirkham "P.K." Allen was an American educator and politician who represented the 4th Essex District in the Massachusetts Senate from 1947 to 1949 and served as Chairman of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee from 1961 to 1963.

Daniel E. "Chick" McLean was an American politician who served as Mayor of Beverly, Massachusetts, City Manager of Haverhill, Massachusetts, Town Manager of Saugus, Massachusetts, Chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, and Chairman of the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board.

1951 Boston mayoral election

The Boston mayoral election of 1951 occurred on Tuesday, November 6, 1951, between Mayor of Boston John B. Hynes and former Mayor James Michael Curley. Hynes was elected to his second term.

Clarence Sayward Wilkinson was an American politician who served as Mayor of Beverly, Massachusetts from 1951–1957, State Representative from 1957 to 1961, Town Manager of Saugus from 1968 to 1970, and Town Manager of Boothbay Harbor, Maine from 1970 to 1975.

Walter Edward Lawrence was an American politician and city manager who served as a member of Massachusetts House of Representatives and as Mayor of Medford.

James Frederick Shurtleff was an American journalist, politician, and city manager.

Wayland Manning Minot was an American football player. He played college football at Harvard University and was selected as a consensus All-American at the center position in 1909.

John C. Carr was an American politician who served as Mayor of Medford, Massachusetts, Chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, and City Manager of Medford.

William Joseph Casey was an American politician who was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Sheriff of Essex County, Massachusetts.

C. Gerald Lucey was an American politician who served as Mayor of Brockton, Massachusetts and was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

1949 Boston mayoral election

The Boston mayoral election of 1949 occurred on Tuesday, November 8, 1949, between incumbent Mayor of Boston James Michael Curley, city clerk and former acting mayor John B. Hynes, and three other candidates. Hynes was elected to his first term.

Theodore A. Glynn was an American politician who served as clerk of the Roxbury District Court and commissioner of the Boston Fire Department. He was a candidate for mayor of Boston in 1925.

Alice Driscoll Burke was an American politician who was the mayor of Westfield, Massachusetts from 1940 to 1943, 1954 to 1959, and 1962 to 1963. She was the first woman mayor in Massachusetts and New England.

Robert H. Beaudreau (1912–1980) was an American jurist who served as a Massachusetts Superior Court judge.

Paul V. Shaughnessy was an American politician who served as Mayor of Waltham, Massachusetts.

Edwin L. Olander Jr. (1917–2008) was an American World War II flying ace and politician.

John D. Lynch was an American politician who served as Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Brockton: Clifford Leads by 290; Recount Will Be Asked". The Boston Daily Globe. November 9, 1949.
  2. ↑ "Brockton: New Mayor Pledges Era of Economy". The Boston Daily Globe. January 3, 1950.
  3. ↑ "City Police Watch State Police Watching Ballots in Brockton". The Boston Daily Globe. November 8, 1951.
  4. ↑ "Ex-Brockton Mayor Becomes City Clerk". The Boston Daily Globe. December 28, 1955.
  5. ↑ "Court Says Brockton Manager Not Fired--Now What?". The Boston Globe. November 2, 1961.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.