John F. Collins

John F. Collins
Portrait of Collins in the 1960s
Mayor of Boston
In office January 4, 1960[1] – January 1, 1968[2]
Preceded by	John Hynes
Succeeded by	Kevin White
Member of the Massachusetts Senate
In office 1951–1955
Preceded by	Chester A. Dolan Jr.
Succeeded by	James W. Hennigan Jr.
Constituency	5th Suffolk
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office 1949–1951
Preceded by	Vincent A. Mannering
Succeeded by	Timothy J. McInerney, Philip Anthony Tracy, and David J. O'Connor
Constituency	10th Suffolk
In office 1947–1949
Preceded by	Frederick R. Harvey and Vincent A. Mannering
Succeeded by	George Greene and Louis K. Nathanson
Constituency	11th Suffolk
Personal details
Born	John Frederick Collins July 20, 1919 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	November 23, 1995(1995-11-23) (aged 76) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting place	St. Joseph Cemetery in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mary Patricia Cunniff ​ ​ (m. 1946)​
Alma mater	Suffolk University Law School
Profession	Lawyer
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1941-1946
Rank	Captain
Unit	Counterintelligence Corps
Battles/wars	World War II

John Frederick Collins (July 20, 1919 – November 23, 1995) was an American lawyer who served as the mayor of Boston from 1960 to 1968. Collins was a lawyer who served in the Massachusetts Legislature from 1947 to 1955. He and his children caught polio during a 1955 outbreak. He was reliant on a wheelchair and crutches the rest of his life. After partially recovering, he ran for mayor in 1959 as an underdog. He successfully portrayed himself as outside corrupt "machine politics" and was elected.

As mayor, Collins is most remembered for a massive urban redevelopment program, which was spearheaded by Edward J. Logue and the Boston Redevelopment Authority and led to a rejuvenation of business in Boston. The city's seafront began changing into the business and tourist-friendly district seen in later decades. His actions were emulated by urban planners around the country, and the campaign was credited by later mayors as ensuring that Boston did not continue shrinking.

Later in his second term, Collins made an unsuccessful run in the Democratic primary of the 1966 United States Senate election in Massachusetts. After leaving politics, he worked as a visiting professor and lecturer.