There was no Lowell City Council meeting this week, so today’s newsletter contains Part II of my biographical sketches of past mayors of Lowell. Today we start in 1883 with the first mayor of Irish Catholic heritage and go until 1943, with the last mayor elected prior to the city’s adoption of our current Plan E form of government.

For those who missed the first installment of this series, it was published on my website, richardhowe.com, on June 14, 2026.

With that, let’s return to the mayors of Lowell:

John J. Donovan was mayor in 1883 and again in 1884. He was born in Yonkers, New York, on July 28, 1843, and moved to Lowell three years later with his widowed mother. He attended the Washington School and then Lowell High School. While still a student, he worked as a clerk at a grocery store on Central Street, eventually becoming a partner. As an adult, Donovan became associated with several other local businesses and financial institutions including the Lowell Trust Company and Washington Savings Bank. In the early 1880s he was appointed Overseer of the Poor and in 1882 he was elected mayor making him the first person of Irish descent to hold that office. He was reelected the following year. He died at his home at 256 Branch Street on April 21, 1905, at age 61. He is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery.

Edward J. Noyes was mayor in 1885. He was born in Georgetown, Massachusetts, on September 7, 1841. He came to Lowell at age 7, went through the Lowell public schools then graduated from Columbia Law School. During the Civil War, he enlisted in a cavalry company and was eventually promoted to major. He left the military after being wounded in action and returned to Lowell. He was appointed city marshall and was elected mayor in late 1884. After serving as mayor, he became the superintendent of the Lowell Street Railroad Company and then worked for several Lowell textile mills as a detective. He lived at 182 Butman Road and attended St. Anne’s Episcopal Church. He died in Lowell on January 31, 1925, at age 83. He is buried in Lowell Cemetery.

James C. Abbott was mayor in 1886 and again in 1887. He was born in Andover, Massachusetts, on June 30, 1823. He graduated from Phillips Academy, Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School. He moved to Lowell and practiced law here for more than 50 years. He was elected mayor in December 1885 and was reelected in the following election. In addition to his law practice, he was president of the First National Bank and the Lowell Mutual Fire Insurance Company. He died in Lowell on July 9, 1903, at age 80. Funeral services were held at his home at 21 Fairmount Street followed by burial in Lowell Cemetery.

Charles D. Palmer was mayor in 1888, 1889 and 1890. He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on November 25, 1845. He graduated from Boston Latin and Harvard College then, aspiring to be a manufacturing executive, moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts, for a management position at the Washington Mills. In 1880, he married Rowena Hildreth and joined her in Lowell. When her father, Fisher Hildreth, passed away, Charles devoted his time to managing the substantial Hildreth Estate. He did that until he was elected mayor in December 1887. During his time as mayor, he led the efforts to construct a new city hall and city library. Besides his political and business pursuits, Palmer was involved in sports serving as the president of the Massachusetts amateur bowling league and as the New England representative on the national board of review for trotting races. Charles Dana Palmer died in Lowell on September 25, 1909, at age 63. He is buried in the Hildreth Family Cemetery.

George W. Fifield was mayor in 1891 and again in 1892. He was born in Belmont, New Hampshire, on April 25, 1848, and came to Lowell at age 18 as an apprentice machinist. He did well in that field, eventually forming his own company, the Fifield Tool Company which manufactured engine lathes at a plant on Marginal Street. He served two terms as mayor but left politics after that due to the demands of his business. He died at his home at 1180 Middlesex Street on January 30, 1911, at age 62. The cause of death was cancer. His funeral was held at his home, and he is buried in Lowell Cemetery.

John J. Pickman was mayor in 1893 and 1894. He was born in Lowell on January 5, 1850. He graduated from Lowell High School then Harvard Law School. He began practicing law in Lowell in 1871. He was elected to the Lowell School Committee, the state legislature, and in December 1892, mayor of Lowell. He was reelected the following year. Prior to being elected mayor, he was made a special justice at the Lowell Police Court and after his time at City Hall he became a full-time district court judge until his retirement. He died on August 17, 1930, at age 80, at the McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. The cause of death was pneumonia. His funeral was held at the Eliot Congregational Church, and he is buried in Edson Cemetery.

William F. Courtney was mayor in 1895, 1896 and 1897. He was born in Lowell on December 10, 1855. His family lived in Belvidere but soon moved to Centralville where Courtney lived for the rest of his life. He attended the Lowell public schools and Harvard Law School. He then opened a law office in Lowell and developed a successful legal practice specializing in criminal law. He was active in Democratic politics and served as a state representative and as city solicitor. He was the Democratic nominee for mayor in 1892 and 1893, but he lost both times. He was nominated again in 1894 and won. In 1896, he married Alice Brouillette. Their wedding was the first ceremony held at the newly constructed St. Jean Baptiste Church. Courtney died on April 17, 1899, at age 43. The cause of death was Bright’s Disease, a kidney ailment. His funeral was at St. Michael’s Church, and he is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery.

James W. Bennett was mayor in 1898. He was born in Newmarket, New Hampshire, on March 21, 1833. He came to Lowell at age 14 to learn carpentry with his uncle, who was a successful builder. Bennett eventually had his own business as a contractor and was admired as a ‘shrewd businessman.” He was a longtime water commissioner and was instrumental in establishing the Lowell waterworks. He also served on the common council and in the state legislature. At some point, the governor appointed Bennett the Commonwealth’s assistant adjutant general, which earned him the title Colonel although he never served in the military. He ran for mayor in 1896 and lost but won in the next election. He ran again but failed to be reelected. He died at his home at 205 Branch Street on April 14, 1903, at age 70. He is buried in Lowell Cemetery.

Jeremiah Crowley was mayor in 1899 and 1900. He was born in Lowell on January 12, 1832. At age 13, he went to work in the Lawrence Mills and learned to be a machinist. In 1860, he began studying law with a local attorney. He was also a member of the Sixth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was involved in the Baltimore Riot on April 19, 1861, that cost Luther Ladd and Addison Whitney their lives. After the war, he was admitted to the bar and had a successful law practice. He also entered politics, serving on the common council, the board of aldermen and as a state senator. He was elected mayor in December 1898 and was reelected the following year. He died in Lowell on September 23, 1901, at age 69. The cause of death was Bright’s Disease, a kidney ailment. He is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery.

Charles A. R. Dimon was mayor in 1901 and 1902. He was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, on April 27, 1841. He enlisted in a volunteer militia regiment at the start of the Civil War and rose rapidly through the ranks. For much of the war, his commander was General Benjamin Butler of Lowell. Dimon served heroically and fought in numerous battles. By the end of the war, he held the rank of Brevet Brigadier General (“Brevet” was a temporary wartime rank). When Butler formed the United States Cartridge Company in Lowell after the war, he hired Dimon to manage the company which he did through the 1870s and 1880s. He ran for public office, serving on the board of alderman and then as a water commissioner. He was elected mayor in December 1900 and was reelected the following year but died in office during that second term on March 21, 1902, at age 60. He is buried in Fairfield East Cemetery, in Fairfield, Connecticut. (William E. Badger served the rest of Dimon’s term as acting mayor but was not subsequently elected to the office.)

Charles E. Howe was mayor in 1903 and 1904. He was born in Gonic, New Hampshire, (now a part of Rochester) on January 28, 1846. He enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Civil War and was wounded in action at the 2nd Battle of Bull Run. He remained in the army after the war, serving for several years on the western frontier. He left the army and worked in Chicago for a time but in 1871 moved to Lowell to work for his brother’s lumber company. (His brother was John F. Howe of Howe & Burnham Lumber Dealers.) In Lowell, Charles was very active socially, holding offices in many clubs and charities. He was elected to the board of alderman and then served two terms as mayor. He died at his home at 45 Varney Street on July 23, 1911, at age 65. The cause of death was heart disease. He is buried in Lowell Cemetery.

James B. Casey was mayor in 1905 and 1906. He was born in Lowell on July 20, 1878. As a young man, he worked in various retail jobs but soon entered politics. After serving two terms as mayor, he founded the Ideal Comb Company which had a factory at 157 Lincoln Street. In the late 1920s, he became the director of public relations for the New England Power Association, a position he held until his retirement. He died in Lowell on December 30, 1946, at age 68. His funeral was at St. Margaret’s Church, and he is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery.

Frederick W. Farnham was mayor in 1907 and 1908. He was born in Lowell on November 30, 1860. After graduating from Lowell High School, Frederick was hired by the Lowell City Engineer’s office and, aside from his two terms as mayor, spent 40 years in the engineering department, including several managing the construction of Lowell’s sewer system. He retired in 1937. He died at his home at 571 Westford Street on December 11, 1943, at age 83. His funeral service was held at Morse Funeral Home at 170 Westford Street, and he is buried in Lowell Cemetery.

George H. Brown was mayor in 1909 and again in 1922. He was born in Waterville, Maine, on May 20, 1877. He came to Lowell as a young man and was hired as a police officer. He served in the military during the Spanish-American War. According to local newspapers, “he had a natural flair for stump speaking that captivated voters” which helped him be elected mayor in December 1908. He lost re-election and returned to the police department. When Lowell adopted the commission form of government in the 1901 – a commissioner being like a city councilor who doubles as a department head – he was elected as a commissioner four times. He was again elected mayor in 1922 but only served one year – mayoral terms were two years long by that point – because a charter change cut his term in half. He continued to run for office, including as a city councilor under Plan E, but was never again elected. He died in Lowell on March 3, 1950, at age 72, and is buried in Edson Cemetery.

John F. Meehan was mayor in 1910 and 1911. He was born in Lowell on November 24, 1872. He attended St. Patrick’s elementary school, Lowell High, and St. Bonaventure College where he earned bachelor and master degrees. Returning to Lowell, he first worked for a big Boston building contractor but was soon elected principal of the Butler School. He was elected to the state legislature in 1906 and continued serving there until he was elected mayor. In 1915, President Woodrow Wilson appointed Meehan postmaster of Lowell, a position he held until 1922. He died in Lowell on December 14, 1947, at age 75. His funeral was at St. Patrick’s Church, and he is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery.

James E. O’Donnell was mayor in 1912-13, and again in 1916-17. He was born in Lowell on September 29, 1875. He grew up in Belvidere, attended the Lowell public schools, then graduated from Boston University Law School and started a law practice in Lowell. He was elected to the state legislature and the governor’s council before being elected mayor to a two-year term. He lost reelection but ran again in 1915 and won, serving another two-year term. In 1929, Governor Alvin Fuller appointed O’Donnell a justice of the Lowell District Court where he served for 20 years. He retired in 1952 and moved to Florida where he died on September 15, 1966. He is buried in Coral Gables, Florida. The city of Lowell dedicated the bridge crossing the Merrimack River at School Street and Mammoth Road after him as the James E. O’Donnell bridge.

Dennis J. Murphy was mayor in 1914-15. He was born in Lowell on May 17, 1870. He attended the Lowell public schools, Holy Cross College, and Boston University Law School. He opened a law practice in Lowell and in 1898 he was elected to the Lowell School Committee for three terms. He was elected mayor in the 1913 city election, but when he ran for a second term in 1915, he lost to former mayor James O’Donnell in what the newspaper described as “one of the bitterest campaigns in the city’s political history.” He resumed practicing law, a profession he continued until he died on March 6, 1950, at age 79. His funeral was at the Immaculate Conception Church, and he is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery.

Perry D. Thompson was mayor in 1918-19 and again in 1920-21. He was born in Billerica on July 4, 1874. As a young man, he worked as a grocer and as a salesman for a local lumber company. Elected mayor in December 1917 and reelected two years later, his second term was cut short when voters adopted the new Plan B charter. Thompson ran for mayor under that system but lost to former mayor George Brown. Thompson was later named to the city election commission and in 1930 was elected city clerk, a position he held until his retirement. He died at a Billerica nursing home on May 26, 1952, at age 77. His funeral was at Grace Universalist Church, and he is buried in Edson Cemetery.

John J. Donovan was mayor in 1923-24 and 1925-26. He was born in New York City in 1864. He came to Lowell as a child but as a young man he played baseball professionally on the west coast and boxed professionally. Returning to Lowell he worked as a motorman for the street railway but was appointed to the Lowell police department in 1901. When World War I began, he tried to enlist, was rejected several times because of his age, but was finally able to join a railway engineer regiment that deployed to France where he saw combat. He ran for mayor in 1918 and 1920, losing both times, but won the office in 1922 and was reelected two years later. He sought a third term but was defeated. He returned to the police department where he remained until his retirement in 1929. He died in Lowell on May 17, 1937, at age 74. He is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery.

Thomas J. Corbett was mayor in 1927-28. He was born in Halifax, England, on May 10, 1883, and came to Lowell as a boy. He became a U.S. citizen at the Lowell Police court in 1904 when he turned 21. He attended Lowell Schools then worked in the mills. In 1914, he was elected to the common council and then to the state legislature. He was elected mayor in December 1926 and served a single two-year term as mayor. After that, he was a city assessor and then superintendent of the local state unemployment office. From 1936 until his retirement in 1953, he was the public relations officer for the Harvard Brewery of Lowell. He died in Lowell on September 24, 1956, at age 73. He is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery.

Thomas J. Braden was mayor in 1929 and then in 1930-31. (Braden’s first term was just one year because the city switched from holding local elections in December of state election years to holding city elections in November of the odd-numbered year between state elections which fell in even-numbered years.) Thomas Braden was born in Mooers, New York (near Lake Champlain, two miles from the Canadian border) on September 11, 1876. He came to Lowell at age 16. His first job was as an elevator operator, however, when automobiles arrived, he founded a taxi company which he operated through most of his life. He was elected to the common council and then to the board of aldermen before being elected mayor. In 1937, he was elected to the state senate. He died in Lowell on May 23, 1950, at age 78. He is buried in Lowell Cemetery. His obituary observed that he was “one of the most colorful figures in the city’s political history” and “a leading expert on the sport of harness racing.”

Charles H. Slowey was mayor in 1932-33. He was born in Lowell on October 27, 1886. As a young man, he was elected to the state legislature, serving five terms interrupted by military service in World War I. While in the legislature, he founded C. H. Slowey Insurance Agency which he operated for 40 years. He was elected mayor in November 1931 and served a single term. In 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt appointed him postmaster of Lowell, an office he held for 21 years until his retirement. He died in Lowell on January 10, 1964, at age 77 and is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery.

James J. Bruin was mayor in 1934-35. He was born in Lowell on October 31, 1898. He worked at the Saco-Lowell Shops while studying law at night, eventually opening his own law office. He was elected to the Lowell School Committee in 1923 and was elected mayor in November 1933. Despite his age, he enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II and rose to the rank of captain. Although he had been a vocal opponent of the Plan E form of government, in 1947 he ran for and won a seat on the council under that system. The following year, he was elected to the state legislature. However, soon after being sworn in to that office, he died on January 26, 1949, at age 50. He is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery.

Dewey G. Archambault was mayor in 1936-37 and 1938-39. He was born in Lowell on September 3, 1898. He graduated from Lowell High, Boston College and Suffolk Law School. He also became a licensed funeral director, working for the funeral home founded by his father. He was elected mayor in November 1935 and reelected to another term two years later. He enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II and after the war was appointed the director of employment security by Governor Christian Herter. He died in St. Petersburg, Florida, on January 31, 1969, at age 70. He is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery.

George T. Ashe was mayor in 1940-41 and 1942-43. He was born in Lowell on February 6, 1905. He worked as a laborer as a young man and was then elected to the state legislature. He was elected mayor in November 1939 and reelected two years later. During his second term, a state investigation uncovered contract rigging and financial kickbacks to city employees and Mayor Ashe was ensnared in the investigation. He was found guilty in Middlesex Superior Court and served a short sentence. While on trial, the city held a referendum on whether to change from the strong mayor form of government known as Plan B to the city manager system known as Plan E. The vote to change the system was 16,477 votes for and 14,135 against. Later in life, Ashe worked as the New England sales representative of the Radiator Chemical Corporation of Scottsdale, Arizona. He died on May 8, 1975, at age 70 and is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery.

From the receipt of the city charter in 1836 until 1943, Lowell was governed by a “strong” mayor selected directly by the voters. The Plan E system adopted in 1943 and which is still in place today, made a city manager appointed by the city council the chief executive of the city. The mayor, elected by fellow councilors at the start of each term, serves as the chair of the council and the school committee and as the ceremonial head of the city. In two weeks, I’ll provide biographical sketches of the individuals who have served as mayor under that system.

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This week in my Seen & Heard column on richardhowe.com, I reviewed the novel “Isola” by Allegra Goodman, the reality-based story of a young French noblewoman marooned on a deserted island of the coast of Canada in the 1500s; I commented on the passing of sports radio legend Eddie Andelman; mentioned a NYT review of a big James McNeill Whistler art exhibit in London; mentioned the passing of artist David Hockney; and commented on the latest edition of “Cholla Needles” literary magazine which features poems from Paul Marion and Chath pier Sath; and reviewed the new photo exhibit “LowellScapes” at the Brush Gallery.