Big Scores · STOP 03 · Government Center
James Michael Curley went to jail in 1904 and to federal prison in 1947, the second time while he was mayor. His tablet mentions neither.
James Michael Curley was mayor of Boston four times, went to jail in 1904 for taking a civil service exam in a friend's place, and went to federal prison in 1947 while still mayor. He told the Globe he'd run the city from a cell. His bronze memorial in the little park on Union Street lists every office he ever held. Read what it leaves out.
This is stop 3 of Big Scores. Walk it - any two stops are free.
The plate
Collected on site
Union Street just north of North Street (near 19 North Street)
Directions
Argue about it
Should a mayor convicted twice get a bronze memorial in a city park?
Both sides, with their sources, are on the story card in the app.
In these collections: Crime Scenes
Near Government Center · Near State · Near Haymarket · Near Aquarium · Near Bowdoin
Sources (4)
- James Michael Curley (HMdb marker 215594)Historical Marker Database · marker 1980; photos 2023-01-28
- Before Eric Adams, there was James Michael CurleyThe Boston Globe · 2024-09-26
- James Michael CurleyEncyclopaedia Britannica · n.d.
- Curley v. United States, 160 F.2d 229 (D.C. Cir. 1947)U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, via vLex · 1947-01-13