Maurice J. Tobin
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Maurice Joseph Tobin (May 22, 1901–July 19, 1953) was a Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, governor of the U.S. state of Massachusetts, and U.S. Secretary of Labor.
Tobin was born in the Mission Hill section of the City of Boston, on May 22, 1901. The son of a carpenter, he graduated from Boston College before entering politics as a protoge of the legendary James Michael Curley.
Tobin was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives at the age of 25, serving from 1927 to 1929. He served on the Boston School Committee from 1931 to 1937, before shocking the political establishment by challenging and 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. In 1944, Tobin was elected Governor, and served two years from 1945 to 1947. His administration was marked by efforts to increase the benefits of unemployment insurance and workers compensation. He is also credited with the creation of MASSPORT. In 1946, he was defeated for re-election by his Lieutenant Governor, Robert F. Bradford.
Governor Tobin remained active in Democratic politics, however, and campaigned vigorously for President Truman in 1948. Upon his election, Truman appointed Tobin as U.S. Secretary of Labor, a position he held from 1948 to 1953. Shortly after he left his position as Labor Secretary, Governor Tobin died on July 19, 1953. He is buried in Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts.
In 1967, the Mystic River Bridge was renamed the "Maurice J. Tobin Memorial Bridge", to honor the former governor, who ordered the bridge to be built during his one term in office.
| Preceded by: Leverett Saltonstall | Governor of Massachusetts 1945–1947 | Succeeded by: Robert F. Bradford |
| Preceded by: Lewis B. Schwellenbach | United States Secretary of Labor 1948–1953 | Succeeded by: Martin P. Durkin |