BOSTON — Thomas Menino, the longest-serving mayor in Boston history who led the city after the 2013 marathon bombing, died Thursday at age 71 from cancer, his family said in a statement.
Menino, a Democrat, ran New England’s largest city for two decades before he stepped down in early 2014 at the end of his fifth term, saying he could no longer keep up the intense schedule.
“With sheer determination and unmatched work ethic, he took a city that is not as big in size as we are in stature and put us on the world stage as a national leader in health care, education, innovation and the nitty gritty of executing basic city services,” his successor, Mayor Martin Walsh, said.
Menino’s final year in office was marred by the attack on the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, when two homemade pressure-cooker bombs exploded at the crowded finish line, killing three people and injuring more than 260 people.
At a memorial one year after the attack, Menino recalled painful conversations with the families of the dead and injured.
“So many of you have told me about this year of firsts,” Menino said April 16, 2014. “First birthday without your beloved son, first holiday without your daughter, first July 4 where the fireworks scared you.”
His time in office also included many high points, including three World Series wins by the Boston Red Sox starting with their 2004 victory that ended an 86-year dry spell and the completion of the long-running Big Dig project, a state initiative to bury a raised highway that split the city in two.
“I will leave the job that I love,” Menino told supporters at Boston’s historic Fanueil Hall in March 2013, when he said he would not seek an unprecedented sixth term in office. “I never dreamed I would end up here, mayor of Boston, during its best years.”
Months after ending his final term, Menino disclosed he had been diagnosed with cancer and on Oct. 23, 2014, said he would halt his cancer treatments to spend more time with his family.
On the national stage, Menino had stood out as an advocate for gun control and gay rights, often working alongside then-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Menino was the first Italian-American to serve as Boston’s mayor, following a string of Irish-Americans.