He was a man of firmness, who had served with distinction in the Board of Aldermen, abhorred any increase in the city indebtedness, and stood firmly against vague enterprises.

The most notable event under Mayor Norcross was the annexation of the city of Roxbury to Boston. The subject had long been under consideration; and when the Legislature granted the necessary authority, the inhabitants of the two cities voted to accept the act. In January of the following year Roxbury became a part of Boston; it had at the time 30,000 inhabitants.

Although Mayor Norcross stood for retrenchment, the extravagance
which marked affairs all over the country after the Civil War could not help affecting Boston, and the city's expenditures increased to over $8,000,000 annually. The Mayor met the situation by securing a tax rate of $15.50, so that the advance in the debt was very slight."

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