Mansfield was born in East Boston, Massachusetts,[4] March 26, 1877.[4] Mansfield was the son of Michael Read Mansfield and Catherine (McDonough)[4] Mansfield, both of whom had immigrated from Ireland.[7]
He served as mayor from 1934 to 1938, during which he modernized the city's auditing and accounting systems while reducing the city's debt. Despite this, he was unsuccessful in his attempts to centralize the city's many departments.[7] He took advantage of the Works Progress Administration to build the Huntington Avenue subway, a $1.715 million project the city only had to pay $539,227 for.[12] He promoted the sales tax and favored low-income housing, as opposed to substandard housing.[13]
He was not eligible to run for re-election, as Massachusetts law at the time did not allow the Mayor of Boston to serve consecutive terms.[14]
Personal life
Mansfield married Helen Elizabeth Roe on June 29, 1904.[4] Mansfield's son, Walter Roe Mansfield,[15] was born on July 1, 1911.[16]
^Hennessy, Michael Edmund (1917), Twenty-five Years of Massachusetts Politics: from Russell to McCall, 1890-1915, Boston, Ma: Practical Politics, p. 349
^ abcdefghijklmMarquis, Albert Nelson (1915), Who's who in New England, Chicago, IL: University Press of New England, p. 718
^Beaver Valley Times (November 12, 1958), Last of City Political Bosses Dies, Beaver, PA: The Beaver Valley Times, p. 2
^New York Times (November 7, 1958), "F. W. MANSFIELD, CURLEY FOE, DIES; Ex-Mayor of Boston Served 1933-37--Lawyer Aided Catholic Archdiocese", The New York Times, New York, NY, p. 28