THOMAS H. DUFFY
We are indebted to Jack McElhiney for making available this research compiled in preparation for his highly successful book on Woburn:
Title: Woburn: A Past Observed
Published: Sonrel Press, 1999
Notes: A civil, social, and political history of Woburn, MA
Introduction
The following is a compilation of material found doing research on the history of
the City of Woburn. It has been culled from City reports and records, as well
as newspaper accounts of the day. In this regard, I am also indebted to Ned
Duffy for his generous sharing of newspaper clippings and scrapbook material,
which had been saved over the years by family members. The following is by no means meant to be a complete biography on the life of its subject. Rather, it is simply a small slice of that life, mostly focusing on his political life. Thomas H. Duffy was an influential figure on the local political scene, particularly in the 1920's. He was proud to be a politician, but more so to be an honest one. This is respectfully dedicated to his memory.
John D. McElhiney
We are indebted to Jack McElhiney for making available this research compiled in preparation for his highly successful book on Woburn:
Title: Woburn: A Past Observed
Published: Sonrel Press, 1999
Notes: A civil, social, and political history of Woburn, MA
Introduction
The following is a compilation of material found doing research on the history of
the City of Woburn. It has been culled from City reports and records, as well
as newspaper accounts of the day. In this regard, I am also indebted to Ned
Duffy for his generous sharing of newspaper clippings and scrapbook material,
which had been saved over the years by family members. The following is by no means meant to be a complete biography on the life of its subject. Rather, it is simply a small slice of that life, mostly focusing on his political life. Thomas H. Duffy was an influential figure on the local political scene, particularly in the 1920's. He was proud to be a politician, but more so to be an honest one. This is respectfully dedicated to his memory.
John D. McElhiney
Thomas H. Duffy
Thomas H. Duffy was born in Ireland, in County Armagh, on March 8, 1880. His parents, like countless others from Ireland, rode a wave of immigration, and came to America when young Tom was three years of age. They settled in Woburn, most likely due to the seeming abundance of work in the leather industry.
Woburn in the 1880's was a bustling, thriving community, but one that was undergoing change. Ethnically, the previous thirty years had seen a large influx of foreigners, that is to say the Irish. The old Yankees, and Protestant natives who had run the town unchallenged for over two hundred years were slowly giving way to these new immigrants, though the "old Woburn" families, with names like Johnson, Wyman, Thompson and others were still heavily involved in the political, civic, educational, and banking life of the Town. It was not until the early 1880's that an Irishman was elected to the Board of Selectmen, but by 1886, an Irishman was Chairman (Lawrence Reade, a local undertaker and future Mayor). And, for example, while Town Department heads were still primarily native Protestants, such as Police Chief Horace Conn, his force in 1882 consisted of Patrolmen named Boyle, Walsh, Mulkeen, Kerrigan, and the like.
This basic ethnic change was to result in years of subtle and not so subtle friction and competition for positions, jobs, wealth and power between the old, native families of Woburn and the newcomers. It was the underlying current of all social and political events in Woburn, and it shaped and colored Woburn's politics and civic life not only during the time that Thomas Duffy grew up, but well into his adulthood as well.
Family memories would have to supply much of the details for Tom's early years. We know that he was raised in the South End of the City, and attended the public school system. The South End in the 1890's was heavily populated, with three public schools (the Cummings, Lawrence, and McGarr) and St. Charles parochial school serving the area, all within a stone's throw from each other. It was also heavily working class, heavily Irish, and naturally heavily Democratic.
At an early age, he developed quite a career in the boxing ring. It was said in later newspaper accounts that he got into boxing at the age of 14, and quickly became a success. Over the years he piled up victory after victory, beating a Boston Athletic Association champ (1151b. Class) along the way, and defeating the Champion featherweight of the day, Jimmy Briggs, in a non-title fight at the Kirkland Club in Lynn. He fought in the bantamweight category as well, and his career included an eight-week boxing tour of England, France and Ireland. He fought 68 contests on the Tour, and at one point, though not on the scheduled program, he stepped in to fill a vacancy, and defeated bantamweight champ Jimmy Keavney, again in a non-title bout. In the ring, he became known as "Plucky Duffy," which probably says something about his character both in an out of the ring.
The future Mayor was married in 1902, to Alice O'Donnell. Her father, John O'Donnell, had served as a Democratic Alderman on both the Common Council and Board of Aldermen in the 1890's. It perhaps was his father-in-law who lit the initial spark of local politics in young Tom. Local politics was partisan politics, and would remain so until the 1940's. Control of politics meant much more than power or prestige. It meant jobs, and this in an era before unemployment compensation, workmen's compensation, and Social Security. In short, a job meant security for one's family, and it was the local political party that could often dole them out.
His first real steady employment was to be with the Boston & Maine railroad, working there from about 1903 on, rising steadily in position, and becoming a Freight Conductor/Shifter in about 1912. He would work there until the early 1920's.
Apparently an outgoing and popular young man, we find mention of him as a leading figure in the "South End Social Club." This Club, formally named as such in 1898, grew into the social organization among the Irish in the City. It was part charitable, part social, part fraternal, and clearly part political. Its leading members were synonymous with influential Democrats of the day. The organization grew rapidly, and thrived in the years from about 1908 to World War I. It would be fair to infer that from this group came the specific urging and suggestions that Tom seek political office. He launched his political career with a run for -at-Large in the 1917 elections. He lost. He tried once again the following year (City elections were every year for a one year term, until he was successful. He won re-election for two successive terms, serving on the City Council from 1919 through 1921.
The Mayor at that time was Bernard J. Golden, and somewhere along the line the two crossed paths, ending up in opposite camps, both within the Democratic Party. They would wage a tough political battle in 1921, when Tom took on the three terms Mayor for the Democratic nomination. Golden won fairly easily, however, and went unopposed in the general election. The two tangled 12 months later, with Golden again fighting off the Duffy challenge within the Democratic caucus. This time, however, the fight so fractionalized the party, that Golden was not able to go on to victory, losing the general election to a young Republican lawyer named Stephen Bean.
Tom stayed out of the fray in 1923, as the popular Bean handily won re-election. When Bean announced that two years was enough, however, the Mayor's seat became wide open for the election of 1924. Duffy topped the Democratic field, beating out Golden, Thomas McGowan and future Mayor Philip Gallagher. He faced leather manufacturer and Republican Alfred W. Peterson. Peterson would be Mayor, but it was not to be that year, as Duffy out paced him 3,649 to 2,796, carrying all Wards except East Woburn (where the Golden faction openly supported Peterson), and No. Woburn, a traditionally Republican ward.
On January 5, 1925, Thomas H. Duffy, father of ten children, took the oath of office as Mayor, and gave his first inaugural addressed'. He called for the correction of a water shortage that the City was experiencing, and he called for an addition to be built at the High School to relieve overcrowding.
His years as Mayor would be associated, however, with two other points in that initial speech. One was his unequivocal pledge to wipe out the illegal liquor trade in the city. The other, based on an attempt to help the then struggling leather industry, was to construct a major sewer line from East Woburn to No. Woburn, to allow large tanneries to avoid shutdowns due to new State health guidelines on tannery pollutants and discharges. This idea, broadly endorsed at the time, was to become his political Waterloo. More on that later, however.
It was common practice for Mayoral candidates to promise tough enforcement of the liquor laws. Some, however, said it with a wink and a nod, since liquor raids, particularly during Prohibition, often embarrassingly netted political supporters, or even worse, relatives. Not so with Duffy, however. The Mayor minced no words, stating in his inaugural address "There will be no halfway measures in dealing with the Liquor situation.... I will demand from the police absolute adherence to this policy."
Five days later, the Mayor swung into action, showing up at a Police roll call, and stating "...every police officer will be held strictly accountable for conditions on his beat," and promising that "no officer’s hands are tied." He also promised severe shakeups, however, if the police did not subscribe, telling them "I don't care if I have to clean out the whole Police Department. I will have a clean city and that's all there is to it.’ It was a promise that the Mayor tried his best to keep, as his three years in office were marked with significant increases in liquor raids (which he often personally led), and arrests and prosecutions.
His first term in office also saw him champion a cause of overcrowding in the schools, in East Woburn. He had not carried the Ward, and it was Colden country, but when the School Committee pleaded with him for funds to renovate the ancient, wooden Goodyear School at the corner of Central and Utica Sts., he went one step further and proposed the building of a modern brick building across the street. Though not without opponents, he persevered, and the Goodyear School as we know it today was built.
With the slogan that "ONE GOOD TERM DESERVES ANOTHER” he handily won re-election in 1925, with no real Democratic opposition, and the Republicans nominating a registered Democrat, Thomas McGowan. McGowan, who had opposed the Goodyear School on financial grounds, carried the Republican banner and went down to defeat.
The Mayor's second term (1926), saw a continued crackdown on the liquor trade. It also saw the dedication of the World War I Memorial on Woburn Common. Though seemingly non-controversial, the erection, design, and placement of the Memorial had been delayed for years by squabbling among the various Veterans’ groups in the City. The Mayor pulled them together, however, and the long sought after Memorial became a reality on June 6, 1926, with the Mayor's good friend and fellow Democrat James Michael Curley being the chief speaker at the dedication.
It was in 1926 when the Mayor also made a sustained push for the construction of the sewer truckline. Tied up for years in the state legislature with in-fighting and questions of funding, the Mayor called it his number one priority for 1926, stating that if necessary, the City would borrow the money to build it without State help. He had the support of both the workers and the leather manufacturers. Despite a growing public concern in some quarters over the cost of the project, by year's end, the "Aberjona Truckline Sewer” was going out to bid.
By election time, 1926, things were still pretty good for the "Duffy" camp, though increases in the number of policemen and firemen and the building of the Goodyear School had all contributed to an increased tax rate and city debt. This drew two Democratic opponents, President of the City Council Michael J. Curran, and City Clerk (and future Mayor) William J. Kane. It was Kane's first campaign for Mayor, and was no doubt spurred on by the fact that the Mayor had earlier in the year suspended Kane for 10 days as City Clerk, for reason of "conduct," which "tends to disrupt and disorganize an efficient government, and deserves more severe censure than it is within my power to impose." Kane hit back hard during the 1926 campaign, as he demonstrated the sharp intellect, if not acidic wit, which would later become his trademark. Attacking Duffy's base, he asserted that the building of the sewer would favor only the wealthy manufacturers, and he called the financial impact of the plan "Sewer-cide."
The Mayor could take a punch by now, however, and he responded point by point, vigorously promoting the building of the sewer even more. Successful in beating back the combined challenge of Kane and Curran, he went on to win the general election, again against Peterson, winning by the largest margin of any of his three Mayoralty victories.
The year 1927 would be the last of his three terms as Mayor. Seeking re-election to a fourth term, he could proudly point to a list of accomplishments: the Goodyear School, the partial solving of the City's Water shortage, tougher law enforcement, and others. He even managed to lower taxes in his third term. His campaign ads always led off with the boldprint heading that his was "AN HONEST ADMINISTRATION." That was apparently not enough, however, for a majority of voters, and though he easily won the Democratic nomination, he lost the general election in a hard fought, and nasty campaign, by a vote of 3,851 to 3,128. The reasons? Perhaps it was the caliber of his opponent, former Mayor Harold P. Johnson. Perhaps it was simply the fact that after three years in office; his political enemies were finally catching up to him. Chances are, however, that it was that darn sewer that did him
in.
Construction had started in 1927, and the design of the huge truckline called for a "segment block" type of construction. Though fairly new in design, it had been used successfully elsewhere. Its installation in the Aberjona Valley, however, proved disastrous. In a word, it leaked. Its contents would leak out, and rainwater runoff would leak in. Candidate Johnson, ably assisted by City Clerk Kane, had a field day.
The MDC would not allow the line to be connected to their system due to the excessive leakage, and Kane at one point even walked inside the sewer, gleefully reporting his observations of leakage in the Daily Times. Lawsuits were filed and would go on for years. The Sewer's defects would eventually be remedied, and future Mayors found themselves extending the sewer all the way to No. Woburn. All of that, however, would not take place until the 1930's, and the possible benefits that the line might have had on industrial growth could never be properly measured, since industry by then was in the midst of the great Depression. Looking back, it could be said that the Mayor was ahead of his time, and was to be commended for having the foresight and leadership to press for a vital improvement to the City's infrastructure. The sewer line, once built, has served the City well, and is still in use today. There is no question, however, that at the time, with its leaks and its costs, the average taxpayer was hard pressed to throw compliments at the Mayor.
Tom Duffy was not out of office long, however, before he made plans for a return, running in the 1928 race, but pulling out just before the caucus, throwing his support to Philip Gallagher, in a "stop Kane" effort. He ran again for the Democratic nod in 1929, as well as five more times in the 1930's. In all of these campaigns, he would have the "Aberjona Sewer" issue thrown in his face. He would never again win the nomination, though his political strength was still formidable, coming in a close second in both '30 and '33, (and still managing to carry his home Ward in both contests). Though the sewer issue always hurt, he campaigned on his record and on his accomplishments. Above all else, he campaigned on his honesty, proudly proclaiming in a campaign ad in 1929 that he had given the City three Honest Administrations, and wryly noting "I entered the office a poor man, and strange as it may seem, I came out a poorer one."
Indeed the job of Mayor was considered a part-time position, carrying only a part-time salary of $1,500 per year. By the mid-twenties and thereafter, he was making his living in the cement block and building supply trade. We can surmise what the depression years, which followed, did to the building industry. In short, those years were rough on many people, Tom Duffy among them, and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that he struggled to keep a roof over his large family's head. At one point in 1931, he was able to supplement his income as manager and superintendent of the sprawling "Cummings Estate" and farm on the West side, this job coming on the appointment of old friend, Mayor James Michael Curley, (Boston having been bequeathed the property under the Will of Mrs. Cummings). He narrowly missed appointment as Postmaster in 1934, being one of two finalists, and having
the support of President Roosevelt's son, James. The appointment, however, went to Ex-Mayor Philip J. Gallagher.
Thus ends the major events in the "political life" of the former Mayor. His personal life, of course, would last much longer. Indeed he lived to age 89, and died at home, at 253 Main St., Woburn, on May 14, 1969, survived by his wife, ten of his children, (his daughter Esther, who incidentally had been his Secretary at City Hall, having predeceased him), and a flock of grandchildren. He outlived his old political opponents, Golden, Kane, Johnson, and the others. He lived to see partisan politics die out in local elections. He lived to see a City with a growing industrial tax base of which he once dreamed. And might I suggest that he lived to proudly step up on the platform on inauguration night every two years, to be introduced as one of the City's "former Mayors." No doubt the applause on such occasions brought a smile to his face. It should have. He earned it.
Woburn in the 1880's was a bustling, thriving community, but one that was undergoing change. Ethnically, the previous thirty years had seen a large influx of foreigners, that is to say the Irish. The old Yankees, and Protestant natives who had run the town unchallenged for over two hundred years were slowly giving way to these new immigrants, though the "old Woburn" families, with names like Johnson, Wyman, Thompson and others were still heavily involved in the political, civic, educational, and banking life of the Town. It was not until the early 1880's that an Irishman was elected to the Board of Selectmen, but by 1886, an Irishman was Chairman (Lawrence Reade, a local undertaker and future Mayor). And, for example, while Town Department heads were still primarily native Protestants, such as Police Chief Horace Conn, his force in 1882 consisted of Patrolmen named Boyle, Walsh, Mulkeen, Kerrigan, and the like.
This basic ethnic change was to result in years of subtle and not so subtle friction and competition for positions, jobs, wealth and power between the old, native families of Woburn and the newcomers. It was the underlying current of all social and political events in Woburn, and it shaped and colored Woburn's politics and civic life not only during the time that Thomas Duffy grew up, but well into his adulthood as well.
Family memories would have to supply much of the details for Tom's early years. We know that he was raised in the South End of the City, and attended the public school system. The South End in the 1890's was heavily populated, with three public schools (the Cummings, Lawrence, and McGarr) and St. Charles parochial school serving the area, all within a stone's throw from each other. It was also heavily working class, heavily Irish, and naturally heavily Democratic.
At an early age, he developed quite a career in the boxing ring. It was said in later newspaper accounts that he got into boxing at the age of 14, and quickly became a success. Over the years he piled up victory after victory, beating a Boston Athletic Association champ (1151b. Class) along the way, and defeating the Champion featherweight of the day, Jimmy Briggs, in a non-title fight at the Kirkland Club in Lynn. He fought in the bantamweight category as well, and his career included an eight-week boxing tour of England, France and Ireland. He fought 68 contests on the Tour, and at one point, though not on the scheduled program, he stepped in to fill a vacancy, and defeated bantamweight champ Jimmy Keavney, again in a non-title bout. In the ring, he became known as "Plucky Duffy," which probably says something about his character both in an out of the ring.
The future Mayor was married in 1902, to Alice O'Donnell. Her father, John O'Donnell, had served as a Democratic Alderman on both the Common Council and Board of Aldermen in the 1890's. It perhaps was his father-in-law who lit the initial spark of local politics in young Tom. Local politics was partisan politics, and would remain so until the 1940's. Control of politics meant much more than power or prestige. It meant jobs, and this in an era before unemployment compensation, workmen's compensation, and Social Security. In short, a job meant security for one's family, and it was the local political party that could often dole them out.
His first real steady employment was to be with the Boston & Maine railroad, working there from about 1903 on, rising steadily in position, and becoming a Freight Conductor/Shifter in about 1912. He would work there until the early 1920's.
Apparently an outgoing and popular young man, we find mention of him as a leading figure in the "South End Social Club." This Club, formally named as such in 1898, grew into the social organization among the Irish in the City. It was part charitable, part social, part fraternal, and clearly part political. Its leading members were synonymous with influential Democrats of the day. The organization grew rapidly, and thrived in the years from about 1908 to World War I. It would be fair to infer that from this group came the specific urging and suggestions that Tom seek political office. He launched his political career with a run for -at-Large in the 1917 elections. He lost. He tried once again the following year (City elections were every year for a one year term, until he was successful. He won re-election for two successive terms, serving on the City Council from 1919 through 1921.
The Mayor at that time was Bernard J. Golden, and somewhere along the line the two crossed paths, ending up in opposite camps, both within the Democratic Party. They would wage a tough political battle in 1921, when Tom took on the three terms Mayor for the Democratic nomination. Golden won fairly easily, however, and went unopposed in the general election. The two tangled 12 months later, with Golden again fighting off the Duffy challenge within the Democratic caucus. This time, however, the fight so fractionalized the party, that Golden was not able to go on to victory, losing the general election to a young Republican lawyer named Stephen Bean.
Tom stayed out of the fray in 1923, as the popular Bean handily won re-election. When Bean announced that two years was enough, however, the Mayor's seat became wide open for the election of 1924. Duffy topped the Democratic field, beating out Golden, Thomas McGowan and future Mayor Philip Gallagher. He faced leather manufacturer and Republican Alfred W. Peterson. Peterson would be Mayor, but it was not to be that year, as Duffy out paced him 3,649 to 2,796, carrying all Wards except East Woburn (where the Golden faction openly supported Peterson), and No. Woburn, a traditionally Republican ward.
On January 5, 1925, Thomas H. Duffy, father of ten children, took the oath of office as Mayor, and gave his first inaugural addressed'. He called for the correction of a water shortage that the City was experiencing, and he called for an addition to be built at the High School to relieve overcrowding.
His years as Mayor would be associated, however, with two other points in that initial speech. One was his unequivocal pledge to wipe out the illegal liquor trade in the city. The other, based on an attempt to help the then struggling leather industry, was to construct a major sewer line from East Woburn to No. Woburn, to allow large tanneries to avoid shutdowns due to new State health guidelines on tannery pollutants and discharges. This idea, broadly endorsed at the time, was to become his political Waterloo. More on that later, however.
It was common practice for Mayoral candidates to promise tough enforcement of the liquor laws. Some, however, said it with a wink and a nod, since liquor raids, particularly during Prohibition, often embarrassingly netted political supporters, or even worse, relatives. Not so with Duffy, however. The Mayor minced no words, stating in his inaugural address "There will be no halfway measures in dealing with the Liquor situation.... I will demand from the police absolute adherence to this policy."
Five days later, the Mayor swung into action, showing up at a Police roll call, and stating "...every police officer will be held strictly accountable for conditions on his beat," and promising that "no officer’s hands are tied." He also promised severe shakeups, however, if the police did not subscribe, telling them "I don't care if I have to clean out the whole Police Department. I will have a clean city and that's all there is to it.’ It was a promise that the Mayor tried his best to keep, as his three years in office were marked with significant increases in liquor raids (which he often personally led), and arrests and prosecutions.
His first term in office also saw him champion a cause of overcrowding in the schools, in East Woburn. He had not carried the Ward, and it was Colden country, but when the School Committee pleaded with him for funds to renovate the ancient, wooden Goodyear School at the corner of Central and Utica Sts., he went one step further and proposed the building of a modern brick building across the street. Though not without opponents, he persevered, and the Goodyear School as we know it today was built.
With the slogan that "ONE GOOD TERM DESERVES ANOTHER” he handily won re-election in 1925, with no real Democratic opposition, and the Republicans nominating a registered Democrat, Thomas McGowan. McGowan, who had opposed the Goodyear School on financial grounds, carried the Republican banner and went down to defeat.
The Mayor's second term (1926), saw a continued crackdown on the liquor trade. It also saw the dedication of the World War I Memorial on Woburn Common. Though seemingly non-controversial, the erection, design, and placement of the Memorial had been delayed for years by squabbling among the various Veterans’ groups in the City. The Mayor pulled them together, however, and the long sought after Memorial became a reality on June 6, 1926, with the Mayor's good friend and fellow Democrat James Michael Curley being the chief speaker at the dedication.
It was in 1926 when the Mayor also made a sustained push for the construction of the sewer truckline. Tied up for years in the state legislature with in-fighting and questions of funding, the Mayor called it his number one priority for 1926, stating that if necessary, the City would borrow the money to build it without State help. He had the support of both the workers and the leather manufacturers. Despite a growing public concern in some quarters over the cost of the project, by year's end, the "Aberjona Truckline Sewer” was going out to bid.
By election time, 1926, things were still pretty good for the "Duffy" camp, though increases in the number of policemen and firemen and the building of the Goodyear School had all contributed to an increased tax rate and city debt. This drew two Democratic opponents, President of the City Council Michael J. Curran, and City Clerk (and future Mayor) William J. Kane. It was Kane's first campaign for Mayor, and was no doubt spurred on by the fact that the Mayor had earlier in the year suspended Kane for 10 days as City Clerk, for reason of "conduct," which "tends to disrupt and disorganize an efficient government, and deserves more severe censure than it is within my power to impose." Kane hit back hard during the 1926 campaign, as he demonstrated the sharp intellect, if not acidic wit, which would later become his trademark. Attacking Duffy's base, he asserted that the building of the sewer would favor only the wealthy manufacturers, and he called the financial impact of the plan "Sewer-cide."
The Mayor could take a punch by now, however, and he responded point by point, vigorously promoting the building of the sewer even more. Successful in beating back the combined challenge of Kane and Curran, he went on to win the general election, again against Peterson, winning by the largest margin of any of his three Mayoralty victories.
The year 1927 would be the last of his three terms as Mayor. Seeking re-election to a fourth term, he could proudly point to a list of accomplishments: the Goodyear School, the partial solving of the City's Water shortage, tougher law enforcement, and others. He even managed to lower taxes in his third term. His campaign ads always led off with the boldprint heading that his was "AN HONEST ADMINISTRATION." That was apparently not enough, however, for a majority of voters, and though he easily won the Democratic nomination, he lost the general election in a hard fought, and nasty campaign, by a vote of 3,851 to 3,128. The reasons? Perhaps it was the caliber of his opponent, former Mayor Harold P. Johnson. Perhaps it was simply the fact that after three years in office; his political enemies were finally catching up to him. Chances are, however, that it was that darn sewer that did him
in.
Construction had started in 1927, and the design of the huge truckline called for a "segment block" type of construction. Though fairly new in design, it had been used successfully elsewhere. Its installation in the Aberjona Valley, however, proved disastrous. In a word, it leaked. Its contents would leak out, and rainwater runoff would leak in. Candidate Johnson, ably assisted by City Clerk Kane, had a field day.
The MDC would not allow the line to be connected to their system due to the excessive leakage, and Kane at one point even walked inside the sewer, gleefully reporting his observations of leakage in the Daily Times. Lawsuits were filed and would go on for years. The Sewer's defects would eventually be remedied, and future Mayors found themselves extending the sewer all the way to No. Woburn. All of that, however, would not take place until the 1930's, and the possible benefits that the line might have had on industrial growth could never be properly measured, since industry by then was in the midst of the great Depression. Looking back, it could be said that the Mayor was ahead of his time, and was to be commended for having the foresight and leadership to press for a vital improvement to the City's infrastructure. The sewer line, once built, has served the City well, and is still in use today. There is no question, however, that at the time, with its leaks and its costs, the average taxpayer was hard pressed to throw compliments at the Mayor.
Tom Duffy was not out of office long, however, before he made plans for a return, running in the 1928 race, but pulling out just before the caucus, throwing his support to Philip Gallagher, in a "stop Kane" effort. He ran again for the Democratic nod in 1929, as well as five more times in the 1930's. In all of these campaigns, he would have the "Aberjona Sewer" issue thrown in his face. He would never again win the nomination, though his political strength was still formidable, coming in a close second in both '30 and '33, (and still managing to carry his home Ward in both contests). Though the sewer issue always hurt, he campaigned on his record and on his accomplishments. Above all else, he campaigned on his honesty, proudly proclaiming in a campaign ad in 1929 that he had given the City three Honest Administrations, and wryly noting "I entered the office a poor man, and strange as it may seem, I came out a poorer one."
Indeed the job of Mayor was considered a part-time position, carrying only a part-time salary of $1,500 per year. By the mid-twenties and thereafter, he was making his living in the cement block and building supply trade. We can surmise what the depression years, which followed, did to the building industry. In short, those years were rough on many people, Tom Duffy among them, and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that he struggled to keep a roof over his large family's head. At one point in 1931, he was able to supplement his income as manager and superintendent of the sprawling "Cummings Estate" and farm on the West side, this job coming on the appointment of old friend, Mayor James Michael Curley, (Boston having been bequeathed the property under the Will of Mrs. Cummings). He narrowly missed appointment as Postmaster in 1934, being one of two finalists, and having
the support of President Roosevelt's son, James. The appointment, however, went to Ex-Mayor Philip J. Gallagher.
Thus ends the major events in the "political life" of the former Mayor. His personal life, of course, would last much longer. Indeed he lived to age 89, and died at home, at 253 Main St., Woburn, on May 14, 1969, survived by his wife, ten of his children, (his daughter Esther, who incidentally had been his Secretary at City Hall, having predeceased him), and a flock of grandchildren. He outlived his old political opponents, Golden, Kane, Johnson, and the others. He lived to see partisan politics die out in local elections. He lived to see a City with a growing industrial tax base of which he once dreamed. And might I suggest that he lived to proudly step up on the platform on inauguration night every two years, to be introduced as one of the City's "former Mayors." No doubt the applause on such occasions brought a smile to his face. It should have. He earned it.
