He served as mayor from 1938 to 1945 , during which time he advocated the Fair Employment Practices Bill , which prohibited discrimination based on race , color , creed , and national origin in hiring or promotion practices . During his tenure as mayor , the Cocoanut Grove fire occurred in Boston . Prior to the fire , club owner Barney Welansky boasted that that club had not needed to adhere to fire codes because Tobin would not permit his club to be closed . Welansky was convicted of manslaughter , and Tobin himself only narrowly escaped indictment . Four years into Welansky 's sentence , then-Governor Tobin pardoned him
Cocoanut Grove fire
Cocoanut Grove fire
Maurice J. Tobin