John Fitzgerald is elected mayor of Boston and throws out many people in order to give his friends jobs. Many of those friends are saloonkeepers and bartenders.
Enthroned in a big red car, Fitzgerald toured the wards, speaking to people. Following him was his very own squad of what reporters called "Napoleon's
Lancers."
The result of all of Johnny's flamboyant campaigning was exactly what he had planned and expected. Election Day came, folks of Boston voted, and Johnny Fitzgerald and his people marched like a conquering army into city hall and took over. But the spectacular action wasn't over. It was just beginning.
Unique Political Positions Created
When Mayor Johnny Fitzgerald went in to action the physician who had been on the Board of Health was replaced by a saloonkeeper. Johnny may have had a special liking for saloonkeepers, his father had been one, because another one of that profession became the superintendent of public buildings. A bartender, who had previously been expelled from the legislature, became the superintendent of streets. Breaking with the saloonkeeper-to-political office receiver mold, Johnny made a whitewasher the superintendent of sewers. To provide positions within his administration, Fitzgerald even went so far to create yet unheard of appointments, such as city dermatologist, rubber boot repairers, tea warmers, tree climbers, wipers, and watchmen to watch other watchmen.
Grafted Out of Office
As creative as Fitzgerald's political appointments may have been they collectively spelled out one word-graft. He made no apologies for his actions and was thrown out of office by a so called "good government' coalition" in 1907. During the next two years the Republicans kept their pledge to "clean up the mess in City Hall."
Bored Boston Longs for Johnny
In spite of a "cleaned up" government in Boston, and possibly less graft, the folks out in town and down on the streets of Boston were getting bored and began to long for the good ole days when Johnny Fitzgerald sat on Boston's throne and kept things string and colorful. They longed to see Johnny come marching home again-to city hall.
Of course, in time, it was election season again in Boston and Johnny Fitzgerald was, once again, running for mayor. This time his opponent was a banker, the richest one in New England and, as previous, a Harvard "blue blood." James Jackson Storrow spent over half a million dollars in his campaign against Fitzgerald.
John Fitzgerald continues with: John Fitzgerald is Home Again.
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