The Life and Death of Mayor Thomas Doyle
[Photograph: Doyle Engraving]
By 1860, about 20% of the population were direct immigrants from Ireland, and another 20% were American-born children of Irish migrant parents. In the course of a few decades, the Irish had become the largest ethnic population in Ireland. Thomas Doyle was born in 1829 to a family of Irish Protestant heritage. Doyle was first elected in 1848 at the age of 21 to city councilor of the 6th Ward, and would spend the rest of his life in public service as a city councilor and the youngest member of the school board. In 1864, Doyle ran against fellow Republican incumbent Jabez Comstock Knight and won. His victory was proof of the growing political power of the Irish community. Mayor Doyle remained in office as mayor for the remaining 18 years of his life.
When elected Mayor, the population of Providence was 54,000. By his death, the city had more than doubled in size to 120,000.[3] A new public high school was built in 1878.[4] English High School on Pond Street. Mayor Doyle fully overhauled the city’s water and sewage system, and he professionalized the police and fire departments which helped move many Irish families into the middle class. In 1875, Doyle presided over the construction of a new Providence city hall at the Southern Base of Exchange Place[5] and the construction of Roger Williams Park.[6]. The mayor was famous for a liberal spending program that often ran counter to the interests of the City Council. He prioritized Irish interests over all other communities, helping to ensure Irish political hegemony throughout the second half of the nineteenth century which reinforced the longstanding pattern of racial homogeneity in city politics.
On the night of June 6, 1886, while at his home on the corner of Chestnut and Basset Street, Mayor Doyle suffered a stroke on the right side of his body.[7] He passed away three days later. Gilbert F Robbins became acting mayor and requested that the tragedy of the Mayor’s passing be commemorated with the sounding of the city fire bells followed by church bells.[8]
Mayor Robbins along with the city hall paid for Mayor Doyle’s funerary services and formally recognized the service of a mayor whose liberal spending had permanently changed Providence. Mayor Doyle’s body was laid in city hall–a unique privilege that would not be repeated until the death of Vincent “Buddy” Cianci in 2016.[9] On the day of the funeral, a swath of Providence’s most prominent civic figures accompanied the body to Swan Point Cemetery, at which point the Providence Order of Masons took over the funerary services. In funerary remarks, Mayor Doyle was hailed as “the foremost man of [Providence]”[10] and was commended for his many achievements.
Even before his death, Mayor Doyle had established his place as one of the most prominent members of the new Irish population. It was no surprise that the Masonic Order in conjunction with the city of Providence paid for a monument to their longest-serving mayor. On June 3rd, 1889, the monument was dedicated and unveiled at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, at the western intersection of Westminster[11] and Weybosset Streets. Two large stands were built on either side of the road and approximately 10,000 people attended the Masonic ceremony.[12] Speeches were given by Chairman Stone of the citizens' committee, Mayor Henry Barker,[13] and Colonel Nicholas Van Slyok.
The Boston Globe gave the following description of the monument upon its unveiling:[14]
The statue stands facing down Westminster street. and in its pose is naturalness itself. There is a notable absence of anything strained in the position. One hand rests lightly on the hip and holds a partially rolled parchment. One foot is slightly advanced and the head is turned just enough to relieve the whole from any sharp lines. the statue consists of a pedestal of polished Quincy granite. this stands on a foundation of unpolished Quincy granite. 14 feet square and about 1 foot high. The pedestal is 10.5 feet high standing on a subplinth 8 feet square. The base of the pedestal is 6 feet square. The die is 4 feet square and the cornice 5 feet 3 inches square. The statue is 10 feet high and the total height of the memorial is 22 feet. the figure is of bronze and was cast by Groet fils. Paris. the inscriptions are brief and to the point.[15] The sculptor is Henry Hudson Kitson.[16]
Like many of Providence’s other downcity monuments, Mayor Doyle was situated in the middle of the road and would have towered above passing carriages. While Providence’s traffic records are difficult to find, I wonder if the statue’s base was broken by a later car accident like the memorial to Cannonicus further down Westminster Street.