Thomas P. Costin, Jr.

Who is Thomas P. Costin, Jr.?

Thomas P. Costin, Jr. was a Massachusetts politician who served as the 45th Mayor of Lynn, Massachusetts.

Costin served eight years on the Lynn City Council before being elected mayor in 1956. At the age of 29, he became the youngest mayor in Lynn's history.

As mayor, he proposed and spearheaded an urban renewal plan which targeted the Brickyard neighborhood of Lynn in an effort to make the city more attractive to industry and give it the ability to compete with surrounding communities' shopping malls but the program ultimately failed to deliver on its promises. As chronicled in the book The Brickyard: The Life Death, and Legend of Urban Neighborhood, many long-time residents were displaced by urban renewal and much of the land cleared for development went to non-profit groups or remained undeveloped ultimately reducing the amount of taxable property in that neighborhood.

A close friend of John F. Kennedy, Costin was appointed Lynn District postmaster by the President in 1961. He was reportedly a finalist for the position of United States Postmaster General in 1976.