Background
Corcoran was born on January 15, 1897 to John Hubert Corcoran, Senior and Ann M. (Ford) Corcoran.
Corcoran was born on January 15, 1897 to John Hubert Corcoran, Senior and Ann M. (Ford) Corcoran.
Corcoran attended Harvard College, he graduated with an Bachelor of Arts in 1918. Corcoran received an Master of Business Administration from Harvard in June 1920. Corcoan wrote his graduate theses on the Departmental Layout of the Proposed store of a Coöperative Society.
Corcoran"s father, John Hubert Corcoran, Senior was a member and President of the Cambridge Common Council and the Cambridge Board of Aldermen. On April 23, 1918 Corcoran enlisted as a Private in the United States. Coast Artillery, he was assigned to Fort Strong in Boston Harbor. Corcoran was promoted to Corporal on June 20, 1918.
On July 4, 1918 Corcoran was assigned to the Coast Artillery Officers Training Camp, Fort Monroe, Virginia and promoted to Lieutenant.
Corcoran was later transferred to Fort McKinley, Portland, Maine and the *33rd Coast Artillery, Camp Abraham Eustis, Virginia, he was discharged on December 11, 1918. Cambridge voters changed the city government from a strong mayor to a Plan East (City Council-City Manager) form of government, with Cambridge having a ceremonial mayor.
In 1944 Massachusetts held a special election to fill the Senate seat formerly held by Henry Cabot Lodge, Junior. Lodge had resigned from the Senate to join the Army.
Corcoran was the Democratic nominee, he lost the election to Leverett Saltonstall by more than 400,000 votes.
Corcoran died unexpectedly, at age 48, from pneumonia in a Boston, Massachusetts hospital, on December 28, 1945.
Corcoran, a member of the Cambridge City Council in 1942 was chosen by his fellow councilors to be City"s Ceremonial Mayor.