Maurice J. Tobin
| Maurice J. Tobin | |
|---|---|
Department of Labor portrait by C.J. Fox
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| 6th United States Secretary of Labor | |
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In office August 13, 1948 – January 20, 1953 |
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| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Lewis B. Schwellenbach |
| Succeeded by | Martin P. Durkin |
| 56th Governor of Massachusetts | |
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In office January 3, 1945 – January 2, 1947 |
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| Lieutenant | Robert F. Bradford |
| Preceded by | Leverett Saltonstall |
| Succeeded by | Robert F. Bradford |
| 47th Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts | |
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In office 1938–1945 |
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| Preceded by | Frederick Mansfield |
| Succeeded by | John E. Kerrigan |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
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In office 1927–1929 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Maurice Joseph Tobin May 22, 1901 Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died | July 19, 1953 (aged 52) Scituate, Massachusetts, United States |
| Resting place | Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts, United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Noonan Tobin (m. 1932; his death 1953) |
| Children | Helen Louise Tobin Carol Ann Tobin Maurice Joseph Tobin, Jr. |
| Residence | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Alma mater | Boston College |
| Cabinet | Harry S. Truman |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Maurice Joseph Tobin (May 22, 1901 – July 19, 1953) was a Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, the Governor of Massachusetts, and United States Secretary of Labor. He was a Democrat and a liberal who supported the New Deal and Fair Deal programs, and was outspoken in his support for labor unions. However, he had little success battling against the conservative majorities in the Massachusetts legislature, and the US Congress.
Tobin was born in Mission Hill, Boston, Massachusetts on May 22, 1901. Deeply rooted in the highly politicized Irish Catholic community, he was the oldest of four children of James Tobin, a carpenter, and Margaret Daly. He graduated from Boston College and worked for Conway Leather and New England Telephone before entering politics as a protégé of the legendary James Michael Curley. Tobin was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives at the age of 25 and served from 1927 to 1929.
On November 19, 1932, Tobin married the former Helen Noonan (1906-1987) in Brighton, Massachusetts, with whom he had three children. He served on the Boston School Committee from 1931 to 1937, before shocking the political establishment by defeating Curley in the 1937 race for Mayor of Boston.
He served as Mayor from 1938 to 1945, during which time he advocated the Fair Employment Practices Bill, which prohibited discrimination based on race, color, creed, and national origin in hiring or promotion practices. During his tenure as mayor, the Cocoanut Grove fire occurred in Boston. Prior to the fire, club owner Barney Welansky boasted that that club had not needed to adhere to fire codes because Tobin would not permit his club to be closed. Welansky was convicted of manslaughter, and Tobin himself only narrowly escaped indictment. Four years into Welansky's sentence, then-Governor Tobin pardoned him.
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