James Donovan (Boston politician)

Donovan was born on May 28, 1859, in Boston.[1] His father died when Donovan was young and he began working in a provision store at the age of 11.[2] He began campaigning for Democratic candidates in his teens and at the age of 21 became the first ever Democrat elected to represent Ward 16 on the Boston common council.[2][3] He was defeated for reelection by A. Francis Richard, but contested the election on the grounds of fraud and irregularities on the part of precinct officers. Multiple witnesses testified before a special committee of the common council that they saw wardens in precincts 1, 2, and 3 mark a number of the ballots. The committee found Donovan's name scratched off of 27 ballots in precinct 1 and 11 in precinct 3. On March 8, 1883, four of the five committee members found that there was enough evidence of fraud in precents 1, 2, and 3 to recommend that the Council declare the seat vacant and hold a new election, while the fifth member, William F. Wharton, dissented because he believed that fraud was only proven in precinct 3 and these 11 ballots would not change the outcome of the election.[4] The council narrowly voted in favor of allowing Richard to retain his seat.[3]

Donovan was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1884 to 1888 and represented the Fourth Suffolk District in the Massachusetts Senate from 1889 to 1891.[1] From 1892 to 1894, he was a member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council.[2]

In 1893, Donovan was elected to succeed the deceased John H. McDonough as chairman of the Democratic city committee.[5] He resigned to accept the position of superintendent of lamps, which he held from 1896 to 1900.[6] In 1901 he was unanimously elected to his former position of city committee chairman.[7] He led the Democrats' successful 1901 campaign, which included Patrick Collins' victory in that year's mayoral election.[3] After initially refusing, Donovan accepted Collins' offer to become superintendent of streets.[8] He was unanimously confirmed by the board of aldermen on January 13, 1902.[9] He, along with P. J. Kennedy and Joseph A. Corbett formed Collins' "Kitchen Cabinet".[10] Although Donovan stepped down as city chairman, he continued to lead the Ward 9 (formerly Ward 16) Democratic party while serving as commissioner.[11] He, along with most of the Democratic party machine, endorsed Edward J. Donovan in the 1905 Boston mayoral election.[12] Donovan lost the Democratic primary to John F. Fitzgerald, who went on to win the election. On January 2, 1906, James Donovan resigned as street commissioner.[13]

On January 20, 1906, Donovan married Henrietta Louise Webber in a small ceremony in the rectory of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.[14] He was the Democratic nominee for sheriff of Suffolk County, Massachusetts, in 1907 but lost to incumbent Fred H. Seavey.[15]

In 1909, Donovan was again elected head of the Democratic city committee.[16] He endorsed James J. Storrow in the nonpartisan 1910 Boston mayoral election.[17]

On April 16, 1912, Donovan was elected city clerk to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John T. Priest.[18] He resigned on November 27, 1928, due to ill health.[19] He died on January 19, 1929, at his home in Boston's South End.[10]