Walter A. O'Brien
Encyclopedia
Walter A. O'Brien, Jr. was a Progressive Party
politician from Boston, Massachusetts, United States in the 1940s.
In 1949 O'Brien ran for mayor of Boston. Lacking sufficient financial support to pay for radio
advertising, O'Brien commissioned campaign songs from local folk artists promoting his themes, recorded them, then played them out of a loudspeaker
on a truck driven through town. O'Brien was fined $10 for disturbing the peace as a result.
One of those songs, "Charlie on the M.T.A.", has survived all memory of O'Brien himself, thanks largely to the Kingston Trio, who recorded and released the song (as "M.T.A.") in 1959. The smart card for Boston transit is called a "Charlie card."
O'Brien finished last in the mayoral race. In the election of November 8, 1949, John B. Hynes received 137,930 votes, James M. Curley received 126,000, Patrick J. "Sonny" McDonough received 22,230, George F. Oakes received 7,171, and Walter A. O'Brien received 3,659 (1.2% of the total).
By the mid-1950s, the strong leftist policies of the Progressives combined with the Red Scare led to their public perception as communists (though they had no connection to the existing Communist Party
). As a result, O'Brien disappeared into political obscurity along with his party. The Kingston Trio changed O'Brien's name in their version of the song to avoid it being associated with his party.
After his political career ended, O'Brien retired to his home state of Maine
, where he worked as a librarian and later ran a bookstore.
Progressive Party (United States, 1948)
The United States Progressive Party of 1948 was a left-wing political party that ran former Vice President Henry A. Wallace of Iowa for president and U.S. Senator Glen H. Taylor of Idaho for vice president in 1948.-Foundation:...
politician from Boston, Massachusetts, United States in the 1940s.
In 1949 O'Brien ran for mayor of Boston. Lacking sufficient financial support to pay for radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
advertising, O'Brien commissioned campaign songs from local folk artists promoting his themes, recorded them, then played them out of a loudspeaker
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
on a truck driven through town. O'Brien was fined $10 for disturbing the peace as a result.
One of those songs, "Charlie on the M.T.A.", has survived all memory of O'Brien himself, thanks largely to the Kingston Trio, who recorded and released the song (as "M.T.A.") in 1959. The smart card for Boston transit is called a "Charlie card."
O'Brien finished last in the mayoral race. In the election of November 8, 1949, John B. Hynes received 137,930 votes, James M. Curley received 126,000, Patrick J. "Sonny" McDonough received 22,230, George F. Oakes received 7,171, and Walter A. O'Brien received 3,659 (1.2% of the total).
By the mid-1950s, the strong leftist policies of the Progressives combined with the Red Scare led to their public perception as communists (though they had no connection to the existing Communist Party
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
). As a result, O'Brien disappeared into political obscurity along with his party. The Kingston Trio changed O'Brien's name in their version of the song to avoid it being associated with his party.
After his political career ended, O'Brien retired to his home state of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, where he worked as a librarian and later ran a bookstore.