Weld’s obsession: Getting Kevin White
Kevin H. White, who died last week at 82, is rightly remembered as a transformational figure who lay the foundation for a glittery, new Boston during 16 years as mayor. But the sunset of his career was clouded, because of criminal investigations launched by William F. Weld, an ambitious US attorney who went onto become governor of Massachusetts. History should not ignore the intersection of their lives and its consequences. Getting White was Weld’s almost pathological obsession. He never did. No charges were ever brought against White, yet incessant headlines about the probe undermined White’s credibility, sapped his energy and contributed to the feeling that it was time for him to leave the political stage. “They were on a mission,’’ said White’s son, Mark, of then US attorney William F. Weld and Mark Wolf, the first assistant in charge of political corruption cases, who is now a federal judge. “After all that money, all that time, they came up with nothing…. It was a sad way to end a career.’’
To continue, please sign up or log in to BostonGlobe.com
Sign up
Are you a Boston Globe home delivery subscriber?
BostonGlobe.com subscriber
