Joseph A. Doorley Jr.

Joseph A. Doorley Jr.
31st Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island
In office
January 5, 1965 – January 6, 1975
Preceded by Walter H. Reynolds
Succeeded by Vincent A. Cianci Jr.
Personal details
Born (1930-10-12) October 12, 1930
Providence, Rhode Island
Political party Democratic
Alma mater University of Notre Dame, Boston College Law School
Occupation teacher, lawyer

Joseph A. Doorley Jr. (born October 12, 1930) is an American former politician who served as mayor of Providence, Rhode Island from 1965 to 1975. At the time of his election, he was the youngest mayor in the city's history.[1][2] Doorley served as mayor during a time of economic decline and civil unrest.[2] He is a lawyer by profession.[3]

Mayor of Providence

Doorley served on the Providence City Council starting in 1962.[2]

Doorley came into the mayorship after Rhode Island's Democratic political machine broke with mayor Walter H. Reynolds and put its support behind young the councilman and lawyer.[4] Doorley beat Republican opponent Charles A. Kilvert by a wide margin.[2]

Doorley was a rising star in the Democratic Party; in 1970 he ran for national party chairman. Providence under Doorley's early years was one of the first cities to join the federal Model Cities Program and integrate its schools.[4] Doorley became known for his frugal management style.[2] He was widely expected to run for higher office.

However, Doorley's time as Mayor was also marked by desperate economic troubles. Following World War II, the city's population fell from 248,000 to 179,000 as people moved from Providence to the suburbs.[4] Many large downtown department stores closed, and urban renewal moneys from President Johnson's Great Society program eventually ran out.[4]

Some of Doorley's accomplishments as mayor included:

Civic Center

The signature achievement of Doorley's tenure was the Providence Civic Center.[2] After voters refused a statewide bond issue in 1968 to pay for a Civic Center, Doorley pushed for a special referendum in Providence in 1969, which passed.[5] When more money was needed, Dooley pushed for another referendum in 1971.[5] The Civic Center was so closely associated with Doorley, the press called it "Doorley's Dream."[6][4] The Center became a focus of a corruption investigation in 1973. The director of the Center was convicted of soliciting a $1000 bribe from a concert promoter.[4] The lead investigator for this case was assistant attorney general Vincent Cianci, who used the case as a platform to run for mayor against Doorley on an anti-corruption platform.[4]

By 1973, Doorley had lost favor with the state Democratic Party leaders, as the Democratic City Committee refused to endorse his 1974 bid for re-election.[4] Doorley faced three Democratic challengers in the primary, winning by about 2,000 votes. Many of the dissatisfied anti-Doorley Democrats defected to support Republican Cianci, helping him win the 1974 mayoral election.[4]

Later life

Doorley moved to Florida in later life.[2] In 2012, a municipal complex at 444 Westminster Street was named in his honor.[2]

References

  1. ↑ http://digitalcommons.providence.edu/history_dissertations/1/
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Joseph A. Doorley Honored In Ceremony Dedicating Municipal Complex to Longtime Mayor". Office of Mayor Jorge O. Elorza. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  3. ↑ http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20140626/NEWS/306269855
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Stanton, Mike (9 December 2002). "A Providence civics lesson". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  5. 1 2 Leazes, Francis J (2004). Providence, the Renaissance City. UPNE. pp. 60–61. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "Mayors of the City of Providence". City of Providence. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/22/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.