Daniel A. Whelton

Daniel Aloysius Whelton was an American politician who served as the acting mayor of Boston.

Education

Born in Boston to Irish natives Daniel and Ann Curry Whelton, he lived in Boston's West End at 69 Billerica Street. When he was five years old, Whelton's father died and he was raised by his mother, who worked as a pastry cook for the admiral commanding the Charlestown Navy Yard. Whelton received his education at St. Mary's School, graduating in 1886. After Whelton graduated from St. Mary's, Whelton attended the Evening High School for a few months.

Politics

It was while he lived in the West End that Whelton became an associate of Ward 8 Democratic boss Martin Lomasney. Whelton became a member of Lomasney's Hendricks Club in the West End, where he began his political career by registering new voters.
Whelton served on the Boston Common Council in 1894 and 1895, where he served on the Finance Committee. From 1905 until 1908, he served on the Boston Board of Aldermen. In 1905 he was chairman of the board.

Acting mayor

Whelton was the chairman of the Boston Board of Aldermen in 1905. During the long illness of Mayor Patrick Collins, Whelton served as acting mayor. Following the death of Collins, Whelton, aged 33, was formally sworn in as acting mayor of Boston, a position he held from September 15, 1905 to January 1, 1906. Whelton was the first native-born Irish-Catholic mayor of Boston and remains the youngest person to hold that political office.

Personal life

Though a rival of John F. Fitzgerald, Whelton was lifelong friends with P. J. Kennedy, paternal grandfather of President John F. Kennedy, and served as a pallbearer at Patrick Kennedy's funeral. Whelton was also a friend and associate of Boston mayor James M. Curley. According to The Boston Globe of December 1, 1953, Curley and another former Boston mayor, John Hynes, were pallbearers at Whelton's funeral, which was held at Holy Cross Cathedral.