Marty Walsh | |
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54th Mayor of Boston | |
Assumed office January 6, 2014 |
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Preceded by | Thomas Menino |
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 13th Suffolk district |
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In office April 12, 1997 – January 3, 2014 |
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Preceded by | James Brett |
Succeeded by | Daniel J. Hunt |
Personal details | |
Born |
Martin Joseph Walsh April 10, 1967 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Residence | Dorchester, Boston |
Alma mater | Boston College |
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Website | MartyWalsh.org |
Martin Joseph "Marty" Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician from Boston, Massachusetts. A Democrat, he is the 54th and current Mayor of Boston, in office since 2014. He previously served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, serving from 1997 until 2014 and representing the Thirteenth Suffolk district.
Walsh was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to John Walsh, an Irish American originally from Callowfeenish, a townland near Carna, County Galway, and Mary (born O'Malley), also from the Republic of Ireland. The couple emigrated to the United States in the 1950s, and gave birth to Marty in 1967.
Walsh grew up in the Savin Hill area of Boston's Dorchester neighborhood. He was diagnosed with Burkitt's lymphoma at age 7, forcing him to miss most of second and third grade, and repeat fifth grade. At age 11, after going through years of chemotherapy, a scan revealed no traces of the cancer. He went to high school at The Newman School and received a bachelor's degree from the Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College.
Walsh joined the Laborers Local 223 union at age 21 and served as the union's president until his election to the Mayoralty of Boston.
He was elected secretary-treasurer and general agent of the Boston Metropolitan District Building Trades Council, a union umbrella group, in the fall of 2010. In 2011, Walsh was named head of the Boston Building Trades, a position that came with a $175,000 yearly salary. Walsh resigned his post when he announced he was running for Mayor in 2013.