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"Born
in Boston, March 5, 1798; died January 29, 1862; served during 1837-1839.
He was a Boston merchant of high
character and ability. During his administration Boston was again visited by
a period of depression which made retrenchment necessary for the first two
years.
He did, however, succeed in
putting through some important administrative measures. One was the
re-organization of the Fire Department, whose lack of discipline and
efficiency had been remarked upon in earlier years. During the
Broad Street Riot in 1837
the improvements brought about by Mayor Eliot came strongly to the fore.
Until this time the firemen had received no compensation for their services
beyond a slight amount for refreshments. Mayor Eliot saw clearly that to
offer extra compensation would probably induce the firemen to place
themselves under proper discipline, and that such compensation should not be
regarded as a wage in the ordinary sense. An ordinance reorganizing the
department and fixing the compensation was passed and went into operation in
the fall of 1837.
Mayor Eliot did not succeed,
however, in his plans for reorganizing the Police Department; nor did
several provisions submitted on his initiative to the voters at a special
election for an amendment of the city charter win the day.
Mayor Eliot, in his last inaugural address, recommended the erection of a
new city hall and county jail, but without achieving results. A building,
however, was begun for the offices of Registry and Probate, and much money
spent in widening and extending streets. The tax rate in 1839 had to
be raised on account of the great expenditures and the increase in debt."
"
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