Joe Doorley, a former Providence mayor who made history as the city’s youngest chief executive, has died at 91 years old.
Doorley, a Democrat, was elected in 1964 at the age of 34, and served as mayor for 10 years.
Providence faced economic headwinds when Doorley took office, due to suburban flight and the decline of manufacturing. His response included championing the construction of the Providence Civic Center in the 1970s, now known as the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, which brought some fresh life downtown.
Today Doorley is widely remembered as the mayor who preceded Vincent A. “Buddy” Cianci Jr., who initially ran as a Republican anti-corruption candidate and defeated Doorley in 1974.
Cianci served more than 20 years in office, eclipsing Doorley as the longest-serving mayor in city history. Cianci went on to to become known as Rhode Island’s rascal-king, ultimately landing in federal prison after being convicted in 2002 of racketeering conspiracy. He died in 2016, two years after his second comeback attempt at City Hall fell short.
Former Mayor Joseph R. Paolino Jr., who served in the interregnum between Cianci’s two tenures at City Hall, credited Doorley with moving Providence in a positive direction. “He was responsible for a great deal in the early days of the Providence Renaissance,” Paolino tweeted, including a series of modernization projects.
Under former Mayor Angel Taveras, a municipal building on Westminster Street was renamed for Doorley.
The city’s current mayor, Jorge Elorza, said in a tweet that Doorsley was “a public servant who led the Providence community honorably for 10 years,” while backing equitable housing and efforts to improve city finances.
Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis@ripr.org
