Editing Harvard Bridge (section)

==Conception==
In 1874 the Massachusetts Legislature authorized construction of a bridge between Boston and Cambridge,{{sfn|Alger|Matthews|1892|p=5}} and in 1882 follow-up legislation set out its location.{{sfn|Alger|Matthews|1892|pp=5-6}}

The bridge was to have a draw with an opening of at least {{convert|38|ft|m sm|sp=us}}.{{sfn|Alger|Matthews|1892|pp=5-6}}  Boston interests opposed the bridge, mainly because it did not provide for an overhead crossing of the [[Grand Junction Railroad|Grand Junction Branch]] of the [[Boston and Albany Railroad]]. Further legislation in 1885 changed the draw to a clear opening of at least {{convert|36|ft|m sm|sp=us}} and no more, until the other bridges below the proposed location were required to have a larger opening.{{sfn|Alger|Matthews|1892|p=9}}  There was still no substantive progress until 1887, when Cambridge petitioned the Legislature to compel Boston to proceed; the resulting act required each city pay half the cost, and allowed Boston to raise up to $250,000 (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|250000|1887|r=-4}}}} with inflation{{Inflation-fn|US}}) for this purpose, in excess of its [[debt limit]]. This implied an estimated cost of US$500,000 (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|500000|1887|r=-5}}}} with inflation<ref name=inflation-US />) for the bridge.

The Legislature provided for a bridge commission, to consist of the mayors of Boston and Cambridge plus a third commissioner to be appointed by the mayors.{{sfn|Alger|Matthews|1892|pp=10-12}} The mayors of Boston and Cambridge, [[Hugh O'Brien]] and [[William E. Russell (politician)|William E. Russell]], appointed Leander Greeley of Cambridge as the third commissioner,{{sfn|Alger|Matthews|1892|p=13}} though this appointment changed over time.{{sfn|Alger|Matthews|1892|p=31}}

{| class=wikitable
! Year(s)
! Mayor of Boston
! Mayor of Cambridge
! Third Commissioner
|-
|1887–1888
|[[Hugh O'Brien]]
|[[William E. Russell (politician)|William E. Russell]]
|rowspan=2|Leander Greeley
|-
|1889–1890
|[[Thomas N. Hart]]
|Henry H. Gilmore
|-
|1891
|[[Nathan Matthews, Jr.]]
|Alpheus B. Alger
|Leander Greeley (died February 15, 1891{{sfn|Alger|Matthews|1892|p=30}} or February 16, 1891<ref>{{cite web
 | url =https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2249&dat=18910216&id=qnU-AAAAIBAJ&pg=6652,3393706
 | title =Recent Deaths
 | date =February 16, 1891
 | work =Boston Evening Transcript
 | publisher =Boston Transcript Company
 | location =[[Boston, Massachusetts]]
 | page =2
 | access-date =April 17, 2012
 | quote =Mr. Leander Greeley, a prominent master builder of Boston and Cambridge and one of the three Harvard Bridge Commissioners, died this morning.  Mr. Greeley, who in health was a man of fine physique, had of late been subject to ailments for which he had sought Florida as a relief.  He was an enterprising and public-spirited citizen of Cambridge, where he had often been called by the public to positions of trust.  He was also a working member of several benevolent orders.  There are many monuments of his skill as a builder in and about Boston, including many churches.  The Master Builders' Association will sincerely mourn his loss.  He was about sixty years old and leaves a family.
 }}</ref>)<br>George W. Gale
|}

The commission's 1892 report claimed:{{sfn|Alger|Matthews|1892|p=30}}

{{blockquote|The effect that the bridge will have upon both cities is obvious.  The low land and marshes on the Cambridge side, formerly almost valueless, have been filled in and have become valuable; and Cambridge is now connected with the choicest residential portions of Boston.  The residents of the Back Bay, South End, Roxbury, and other southern sections of Boston are now connected directly, by way of West Chester park and the bridge, with Cambridge, Belmont, Arlington, and adjacent towns; and this thoroughfare in Boston, it is believed, will ultimately be the central one of the city.}}

===Name===
The bridge is named for the [[John Harvard (clergyman)|Reverend John Harvard]], for whom [[Harvard University]] is also named, rather than for the university itself. Other names suggested included [[William Blaxton|Blaxton]], [[Chester Square (Boston)|Chester]], [[Shawmut Peninsula|Shawmut]], and [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow|Longfellow]].{{sfn|Alger|Matthews|1892|p=14}}{{efn|The structure now called the [[Longfellow Bridge]] opened 15 years later, originally called the Cambridge Bridge, was given its current name in 1927.}}