Leo Stapleton, retired Boston fire commissioner and author, dead at 94
By John R. Ellement and Charlie McKenna Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent,Updated April 27, 2021, 2 hours ago
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Boston -FEB 29 1984- Former Boston Fire Department Commissioner Leo D. Stapleton.George Rizer/Globe Staff
Leo D. Stapleton, the jake with ink in his veins who rose from firefighter to the leader of the Boston Fire Department during a nearly 40-year career, has died. He was 94.
Stapleton was the author of several books of both fiction and nonfiction including the autobiographical âThirty Years On The Lineâ and âCommish.â A native of South Boston, Stapleton retired with the rank of commissioner in 1991 after ascending to the position in 1984.