Bruce Bolling, City Council’s first black president, dies at 67
Bruce Bolling, who was the first African-American elected president of the Boston City Council and whose conciliatory approach to politics drew praise when the violent reaction to school desegregation was still a fresh memory, died of prostate cancer Tuesday in his Roxbury home. He was 67.
During his 12-year tenure on the council, Mr. Bolling championed fair housing and increasing job opportunities for businesses run by minorities and women. He also voiced support for the gay and lesbian community when doing so could be a political liability.
“His commitment to public service was unquestioned,” said Councilor Charles C. Yancey, a former council president. “He certainly enjoyed politics in Boston . . . but he believed in inclusion. I think he helped move the city forward.”
Mr. Bolling was part of a political family that at one point accomplished an unheard-of trifecta in Massachusetts and Boston politics. While he served on the City Council, his father, Royal Bolling Sr., was a state senator, and his brother, Royal Bolling Jr., was a state representative.
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