Patrick J. Duane

Duane was an active member of the Democratic Party. He was a Gold Democrat who split with the party during the 1896 presidential election but would back the party in future elections.^[1]

Duane represented Ward 4 on the Waltham city council in 1894 and 1895. From 1898 to 1901 he was an overseer of the poor. He was the Democratic nominee for mayor in 1900 but lost to Mahlon R. Leonard by 850 votes.^[1] From 1906 to 1909 he was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.^[2] He was an unsuccessful candidate for mayor again in 1909 and 1910, losing the later election by only 16 votes. In 1911 he was elected to his first term as mayor.^[1] He was reelected in 1912.^[3]

From 1916 to 1920, Duane was the chief deputy United States Marshal for Massachusetts. He became acting United States Marshal in 1920 after John Joseph Mitchell became the district's collector of internal revenue and later that year arrested Charles Ponzi.^[4][5]

In 1929, Duane sought to return to his former position as mayor. He faced seven-year incumbent Henry F. Beal, whose family had held the office for the past 11 years (Beal succeeded his brother, George, who held the office for four years before Beal was elected).^[6] Beal was initially declared the winner by one vote, however, a recount gave Duane the victory by 13 votes.^[7] He was reelected in 1931.^[3]

In 1934, Duane was made a special justice of the Waltham district court by Governor Joseph B. Ely.^[3]

Duane backed Republican Gaspar G. Bacon over Democrat James Michael Curley in the 1934 Massachusetts gubernatorial election.^[8] In the 1938 gubernatorial election he endorsed Leverett Saltonstall over Curley.^[9]

Duane was the father of four sons and a daughter.^[3] His first wife, Bessie, died in 1908.^[1] Duane died on May 30, 1949, in Waltham. He was survived by his second wife and five children.^[3]