James E. Fitzpatrick

James E. Fitzpatrick (July 9, 1908 – February 28, 1967) was an American politician who served as the 32nd Mayor of Burlington, Vermont.

James E. Fitzpatrick
32nd Mayor of Burlington
In office
June 1, 1959 – June 5, 1961
Preceded byClaude Douglas Cairns
Succeeded byRobert K. Bing
President of the Burlington, Vermont Board of Aldermen
In office
June 2, 1958 – June 1, 1959
Member of the Burlington, Vermont Board of Aldermen
In office
1946 – June 1, 1959[1]
Succeeded byHenry M. Farmer[2]
Personal details
Born(1908-07-09)July 9, 1908
Burlington, Vermont, U.S.
DiedFebruary 28, 1967(1967-02-28) (aged 58)
Burlington, Vermont, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Harriet C. Chapman
Children7
MotherMary E. Malloy
FatherThomas W. Fitzpatrick

Life

James E. Fitzpatrick was born in Burlington, Vermont on July 9, 1908 to Thomas W. Fitzpatrick and Mary E. Malloy.[3]

On January 4, 1946 he was given the Democratic nomination for Ward Four's alderman seat and was elected without opposition.[4][5] He would continue to serve on the board for thirteen years and during that time was elected as president of the board of aldermen.[6]

On February 3, 1959 he announced his candidacy for Burlington's mayoralty and was given the Democratic nomination on February 7.[7][8] Incumbent Republican Mayor C. Douglas Cairns chose to not run for reelection and Fitzpatrick defeated Paul C. Dorn in a landslide by 994 votes with 4,920 votes to 3,926 votes.[9] During his tenure he and the board of alderman signed a petition asking President Eisenhower to review the order that would close the Ethan Allen Air Force Base.[10] On March 7 Robert K. Bing unexpectedly defeated Fitzpatrick with 4,953 votes to 4,024 votes despite having never held an elected office nor being involved in city politics prior to the mayoral race.[11]

On September 11, 1961 Fitzpatrick was appointed to Burlington's airport commission against the will of Mayor Bing and would continue to serve on the commission until his death.[12] On June 24, 1964 he won the endorsement of the Chittenden County Democratic Committee to succeed John J. Burns as postmaster of Burlington, but never took the civil service examine and on August 25, 1965 announced that he would not accept the congressional appointment to the postmaster office.[13][14] In 1967 he talked about the possibility of him returning to the board of aldermen, but on February 28, 1967 he suffered a heart attack and died.[15]

References
  1. "Fitzpatrick to Take Oath As City's 27th Mayor Today". The Burlington Free Press. 1 June 1959. p. 11. Archived from the original on 30 November 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Dr. Farmer Defeats Peisch, Becomes Ward 4 Alderman". The Burlington Free Press. 29 July 1959. p. 11. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Former Mayor Fitzpatrick Fatally Stricken at Office". The Burlington Free Press. 1 March 1967. p. 13. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Wards 3 and 4 Name Lavalley And Fitzpatrick For Alderman". The Burlington Free Press. 5 January 1946. p. 9. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Tax Rate Issue Holds Election Spotlight Here". The Burlington Free Press. 4 March 1946. p. 9. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Burlington Tax Rate to Go Up 40 Cents; Democrat Is Elected". Rutland Daily Herald. 3 June 1958. p. 5. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Cairns Quits Mayor's Rac, To Run for Ward 6 Alderman". The Burlington Free Press. 3 February 1959. p. 9. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Dorn, Fitzpatrick Due to Get Party Nominations for Mayor". The Burlington Free Press. 6 February 1959. p. 11. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Voters Elect Fitzpatrick Mayor; Margin Over Dorn Is 994 Votes". The Burlington Free Press. 4 March 1959. p. 11. Archived from the original on 30 November 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Mayor, Alderman SIgn Appeal To Ike to Deep EAAFB Open". The Burlington Free Press. 10 November 1959. p. 1. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Former Mayor Keenan Dies". The Burlington Free Press. 8 March 1961. p. 7. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Bing Lashes at Fitz, Old Political Foe". The Burlington Free Press. 13 September 1961. p. 11. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Postmastership Now 'Looking' for Applicants". The Burlington Free Press. 26 August 1965. p. 3. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Fitzpatrick Gets Party's Nod For Postmaster". The Burlington Free Press. 25 June 1964. p. 15. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Burlington Voters To Face Loaded Ballot in March". The Burlington Free Press. 11 January 1967. p. 13. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
Political offices
Preceded by
Claude Douglas Cairns		 Mayor of Burlington, Vermont
1959–1961		 Succeeded by
Robert K. Bing
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.