Francis Tukey

Francis Tukey (1814 - November 27, 1867) was the City Marshal of Boston, Massachusetts from 1846 to 1852 and a member of the California State Assembly.

Francis Tukey was born in Falmouth, Maine in 1814. His family was well established in the area of Falmouth. His father was Benjamin Tukey, as was also the name of his grandfather. His grandfather fought in the Battle of Saratoga during the American Revolution. Upon the town’s celebration of the surrender of General Burgoyne, the elder Benjamin Tukey was killed accidentally. As the celebration had commenced around Alice Greele’s Tavern, Benjamin was mortally wounded by the premature discharge of a cannon. Benjamin Tukey left behind two children: Benjamin, Francis's father, and William. Francis Tukey is described as "5 feet, 9 inches tall, hair black as a raven, eyes large, dark and piercing with a pale face and an infectious smile." Francis Tukey was a mechanic by trade and left Falmouth for Boston, Massachusetts to practice his trade further. After moving to Boston, he decided that he would pursue a career in law instead. Tukey entered the Harvard Law School and graduated after two years in 1843. Francis Tukey was admitted to the Suffolk bar on March 6, 1844.

Entering the law enforcement profession would be Tukey’s calling and he would become appointed as the City Marshal of Boston by Mayor Josiah Quincy Jr. The position had been more of a revolving political door at the time. During the eight years between 1838 and 1846, there were six men appointed to the seat of city marshal. Francis Tukey was the successor to an office held by Benjamin Pollard, Daniel Parkman, Erza Weston, James Blake and Ira Gibbs. Tukey was appointed at the age of only 32 to the high-profile position.

The early years of Tukey’s era as marshal was relatively quiet compared to what he would encounter close to the end of the decade. He began with the reorganization of the Boston Police Department. Under Tukey, the force increased to 22 officers during the day and 8 at night. They were dispatched throughout the city at $2.00 per day and $1.25 per night. The city was divided into sections and the order was set to clean up the streets of Boston. The increased visibility of officers gave rise to local notoriety to certain constables, such as Derastus Clapp and Samuel Fuller.

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