1905 Boston mayoral election

The Boston mayoral election of 1905 took place on Tuesday, December 12, 1905.^[1] Democratic nominee John F. Fitzgerald defeated Republican nominee Louis A. Frothingham and four other contenders to win election to his first term as Mayor of Boston. Ahead of the general election, primary elections had been held on Thursday, November 16, 1905.

1905 Boston mayoral election

← 1903 December 12, 1905 1907 →

Candidate John F. Fitzgerald Louis A. Frothingham Henry S. Dewey Party Democratic Republican Populist Popular vote 44,171 36,028 11,608 Percentage 47.5% 38.7% 12.5%

Mayor before election Daniel A. Whelton Democratic Elected mayor John F. Fitzgerald Democratic

Daniel A. Whelton, who had become acting mayor upon the death of Mayor Patrick Collins in September 1905,^[2] did not run for the position.

Fitzgerald was inaugurated on Monday, January 1, 1906.^[3]

Results

Democratic primary

• Edward J. Donovan, Boston City Clerk^[4]
• John F. Fitzgerald, former member of the United States House of Representatives (1895–1901) and the Massachusetts Senate (1892–1894)

Candidates	Primary Election[5]
	Votes	%
John F. Fitzgerald	28,130	53.6%
Edward J. Donovan	24,387	46.4%
all others	5	0.0%

Republican primary

• Louis A. Frothingham, Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
• Henry S. Dewey, former Boston Municipal Court judge
• Edward B. Callender, member of the Massachusetts Senate

Withdrew

• Edward J. Bromberg, Boston Alderman

Sources:^[6][7]

Candidates	Primary Election[8]
	Votes	%
Louis A. Frothingham	9,941	46.6%
Henry S. Dewey	9,745	45.7%
Edward B. Callender	1,653	7.7%
all others	4	0.0%

Other candidates

• Henry S. Dewey, who had narrowly lost the Republican primary election, ran as People's Party candidate^[9]
• Michael D. Fitzgerald, Socialist Labor candidate, was removed from the ballot in early December due to invalid signatures^[10]
• George G. Hall, was the Socialist candidate^[11]
• James A. Watson, was the Municipal Ownership League candidate^[9]

General election

Candidates[1][12]		General Election[1][13]
		Votes	%
D	John F. Fitzgerald	44,171	47.5%
R	Louis A. Frothingham	36,028	38.7%
P	Henry S. Dewey	11,608	12.5%
S	George G. Hall	712	0.8%
M	James A. Watson	457	0.5%
Michael D. Fitzgerald		9	0.0%
Scattering		14	0.0%
Total Vote		92,999	100

See also

• List of mayors of Boston, Massachusetts

References

1. 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. "PAST MAYORS OF BOSTON". boston.gov. July 8, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
3. "Fitzgerald Boston's Mayor". The Washington Post. January 2, 1906. p. 1. Retrieved March 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
4. "DONOVAN OR FITZGERALD?". The Boston Globe. September 20, 1905. p. 1. Retrieved March 18, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
5. "Annual Report of the Board of Election Commissioners". City of Boston. 1905. p. 107. Retrieved March 18, 2018 – via archive.org.
6. "FROTHINGHAM HAS THREE OPPONENTS". The Boston Globe. October 25, 1905. p. 1. Retrieved March 18, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
7. "BROMBERG OUT". The Boston Globe. October 27, 1905. p. 5. Retrieved March 18, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
8. "Annual Report of the Board of Election Commissioners". City of Boston. 1905. p. 138. Retrieved March 18, 2018 – via archive.org.
9. "EACH THINKS HE WILL WIN". The Boston Globe. December 10, 1905. p. 1. Retrieved March 18, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
10. "WHOLE LIST OFF TICKET". The Boston Globe. December 3, 1905. p. 10. Retrieved March 18, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
11. "GEORGE G. HALL FOR MAYOR". The Boston Globe. November 6, 1905. p. 5. Retrieved March 18, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
12. "PAPERS ALL FILED". The Boston Globe. November 28, 1905. p. 1. Retrieved March 18, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
13. "Annual Report of the Board of Election Commissioners". City of Boston. 1905. p. 171. Retrieved March 18, 2018 – via archive.org.

Further reading

• "Fitzgerald Wins in Boston". The New York Times. December 13, 1905. p. 1. Retrieved March 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.