Local News

John ‘Wacko’ Hurley, organizer of Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, has died

His death represents “a part of Boston’s history that has passed away,’’ said Mayor Walsh.

John “Wacko’’ Hurley stood along the parade route in 2006. The Boston Globe

John “Wacko’’ Hurley, 85, known for organizing Boston’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, died Tuesday night at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Hurley’s health had been failing, his family told The Boston Globe.

Hurley was a leader of the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council and a plaintiff in a civil case that came before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1995, when the court ruled that the council could ban gay and lesbian organizations from marching in the St. Patrick’s Day parade.

His death, Mayor Martin J. Walsh told the Globe, represents “a part of Boston’s history that has passed away.’’

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Read the full obituary in the Globe.

Notable deaths of 2015:

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