It should come as no surprise that Harvard College is an incubator for future politicians. Each year, the College invariably graduates several students who have been planning their senatorial campaigns since kindergarten. Dozens more catch the political bug during their college years.

But for Francis H. Duehay '55, the newly-elected mayor of Cambridge, politics was almost an accident.

When he graduated from Harvard he wanted to teach high school. "All my role models were teachers and counselors," he said in an interview with The Crimson on Monday.

In the interview, Duehay--born and raised a Cantabrigian--discussed both the personal history that led him into politics and the municipal challenges that his city faces as it enters the 21st century.

The College Years

Unlike the typical Harvard-educated politician, Duehay says he was not active in campus politics during his undergraduate career.

"I was president of the chess club," he says.

It was not until the end of his college years that Duehay finally ran for office, when he sought a post on the permanent class committee.

At the time, each undergraduate House elected a senior to be a member of a committee responsible for alumni relations. The position has since been eliminated.

While campaigning, Duehay knocked on every senior's door in Adams House--his undergraduate residence--and eventually won the position.

"That was my first foray into elected office," Duehay says, smiling.

But when he entered the real world, Duehay didn't follow a particularly political path.

After completing Harvard's Navy ROTC course, he served two years of active duty in the Navy.

Once back in Cambridge, Duehay decided to pursue his original interest in education. He re-enrolled at Harvard, earning a master's degree in a joint program between the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School of Education (GSE).

After teaching one-and-a-half years at Belmont High School, he joined the staff of the GSE, serving at different times as dean of admissions and financial aid and director of graduate programs in educational administration.