Katherine Craven
Encyclopedia
Katherine Kane Craven was a member of the Boston City Council
in Boston
, Massachusetts
, 1964-1967. She was the "first woman elected" citywide to the council. "Craven was an outspoken foe of urban renewal
. ... On the council she never voted for a renewal project. ... Her bete noire during four boisterous years as councilor was Boston Redevelopment Authority
(BRA) Administrator Edward Logue
."
"She was born in Charlestown and was a graduate of St. Patrick's Commercial High School, Watertown, and attended the Bentley School of Accounting. She was secretary to the Joseph P. Kennedy
Enterprises before her marriage, where she met her husband, John J. Craven." She married "state Rep.
John J. Craven (D-Roxbury, 1930-1938); ... her husband later served as her administrative assistant when she was on the City Council."
Katherine's service on the Boston City Council was all the more remarkable given the fact that she was the mother of eleven children, having given birth to 16 children in all. Katherine and John Craven's 11 surviving children, Patricia, Maureen, John J. Jr., Sheila, Kathleen, Pauline, Francis Xavier, twins Brendan Michael and Barbara Ellen, Susan and Timothy, resided in the Boston area and produced 52 grandchildren.
Boston City Council
The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councilors are elected to two-year terms and there is no limit on the number of terms an individual can serve...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, 1964-1967. She was the "first woman elected" citywide to the council. "Craven was an outspoken foe of urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
. ... On the council she never voted for a renewal project. ... Her bete noire during four boisterous years as councilor was Boston Redevelopment Authority
Boston Redevelopment Authority
The Boston Redevelopment Authority is the municipal planning and development agency for Boston, working on both housing and commercial developments.The BRA was established by the Boston city council and the Massachusetts legislature in 1957...
(BRA) Administrator Edward Logue
Edward J. Logue
Edward J. "Ed" Logue was an urban planner, public administrator, lawyer, politician, and academic who worked in New Haven, Boston, and New York State....
."
"She was born in Charlestown and was a graduate of St. Patrick's Commercial High School, Watertown, and attended the Bentley School of Accounting. She was secretary to the Joseph P. Kennedy
Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Sr. was a prominent American businessman, investor, and government official....
Enterprises before her marriage, where she met her husband, John J. Craven." She married "state Rep.
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
John J. Craven (D-Roxbury, 1930-1938); ... her husband later served as her administrative assistant when she was on the City Council."
Katherine's service on the Boston City Council was all the more remarkable given the fact that she was the mother of eleven children, having given birth to 16 children in all. Katherine and John Craven's 11 surviving children, Patricia, Maureen, John J. Jr., Sheila, Kathleen, Pauline, Francis Xavier, twins Brendan Michael and Barbara Ellen, Susan and Timothy, resided in the Boston area and produced 52 grandchildren.
External links
- Google news archive. Articles related to Craven
- Life Magazine (Dec 24, 1965). Photo of K. Craven in council chambers ca.1965 (p. 126)