James W. Hennigan Jr.

James W. Hennigan Jr.
Chairman of the Boston School Committee
In office 1972–1972
Preceded by	Paul R. Tierney
Succeeded by	Paul R. Tierney
Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the 5th Suffolk District
In office 1955–1965
Preceded by	John F. Collins
Succeeded by	Stephen Davenport
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 18th Suffolk District
In office 1953–1955
Personal details
Born	James William Hennigan Jr. (1927-03-17)March 17, 1927 Boston, Massachusetts, US
Died	January 3, 2020(2020-01-03) (aged 92) Boston, Massachusetts, US
Political party	Democratic Party
Alma mater	Babson Institute Suffolk University Law School
Occupation	Lawyer Insurance broker

James William Hennigan Jr. (March 17, 1927 – January 3, 2020)^[1] was an American politician who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1953 to 1955 and in the Massachusetts Senate from 1955 to 1965.

Hennigan graduated from Babson Institute Suffolk University Law School. He served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1953 to 1955, the Massachusetts Senate from 1955 to 1965 and a member of the Boston School Committee from 1970 to 1974.

Hennigan ran for mayor of Boston in 1959, but lost that election. He was also the Democratic nominee for Massachusetts Attorney General in 1964, but lost to Edward Brooke. His father James W. Hennigan Sr. also served in the Massachusetts General Court. He was a driving force behind his daughter Maura Hennigan's unsuccessful 2005 attempt to become mayor of Boston.^[2]

Hennigan is the Hennigan referred to in Morgan v. Hennigan since he was head of the Boston School Committee at the time. However, Hennigan had been the leading advocate of trying to implement integration on the School Committee.^[3]

His daughter Maura Hennigan was a member of the Boston City Council from 1982 through 2005, and a candidate for Mayor of Boston in November 2005.^[4]

Hennigan died on January 3, 2020, in Boston, Massachusetts, at age 92.^[5]

See also

• 1953–1954 Massachusetts legislature
• 1955–1956 Massachusetts legislature

References

1. 1963–1964 Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
2. "Boston Phoenix article on Maura Hennigan's run for mayor". Archived from the original on 2013-04-04. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
3. John Wolfson "The Road to Perdition", Boston Magazine Aug 2004^{[permanent dead link‍]}
4. Wangsness, Lisa (August 29, 2005). "In Hennigan's run, father sees clan destiny". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
5. "JAMES HENNIGAN Obituary - West Roxbury, MA | Boston Globe". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2020-01-11.

Sources

• summary with oral history interview
• Boston Globe July 12, 2010

Party political offices
Preceded by Francis E. Kelly	Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Massachusetts 1964	Succeeded by Francis Bellotti