Alfred Vellucci

Who is Alfred Vellucci?

Alfred E. Vellucci was an American politician who served as the mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts. He served four non-consecutive terms as mayor, and was known for his often antagonistic relationship with Harvard University.

Vellucci was born in Somerville, Massachusetts. His father died when Vellucci was in sixth grade, and he dropped out of school soon afterwards. He initially worked as a messenger for Western Union before becoming a candy bar deliveryman. He later opened a sandwich store. He lived in East Cambridge for much of his life.

In 1951 Vellucci was elected to the Cambridge School Committee. Four years later he was elected to the Cambridge City Council. He served on the City Council for 34 years. In 1989 he was re-elected to the Cambridge School Committee for one term. He was elected to his first two-year term Mayor of Cambridge in 1971, and was also elected in 1976, 1982, and 1988. In 1991 he ran for election to the City Council but failed to win a seat. He often focused on providing services to his constituents and was skilled at grass roots campaigning. He claimed credit for promoting commercial development, such as the CambridgeSide Galleria mall.