In 1904, Weeks served as the private secretary to Everett mayor Thomas J. Boynton. From 1905 to 1909 he was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He was chairman of the House legal affairs committee in 1907 and the street railway committee in 1908 and 1909.[3]
In 1917, Weeks defeated incumbent John J. Mullen by 230 votes to become Mayor of Everett.[4]The Boston Daily Globe described the race between Mullen and Weeks as "one of the bitterest campaigns in years" and in his inaugural address, Weeks referred to his predecessor as a "caterwauling demagogue" and vowed to overturn many of his acts, including firing of Police Chief William E. Hill and the closure of the Everett Tuberculous Hospital.[4][5] In 1918, Christopher Harrison defeated Weeks by 390 votes, with Mullen, who supported Harrison after being eliminated in the preliminary election, taking credit for "putting [him] over".[6]
In 1922, Weeks was the Progressive Party candidate for United States Senate. He finished sixth with less than 1% of the vote.[7] In 1923 Weeks moved to Reading, Massachusetts. However, in 1933, he returned to Everett to run for Mayor.[8] He made the runoff election, but was defeated by another former Mayor, James A. Roche.[9] During the 1934 gubenatoral election Weeks supported Democrat James Michael Curley. In 1935 Curley appointed Weeks to the State Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission.[10] In 1941, Weeks again ran for Mayor of Everett. He finished last in a four candidate primary.[11]
Legal career
In 1922, Weeks defended George H. Mansfield, a former Everett resident who was charged with murdering his lover, Alice Jones.[12] The medical examiner later ruled that Jones committed suicide and District Attorney Thomas C. O'Brien asked the grand jury to return no bill against Mansfield.[13] In 1924, Weeks served as a special counsel for defendants accused of being part of a extortion ring led by former Middlesex County district attorney William J. Corcoran. They were found guilty and Corcoran was sentenced to 7 to 10 years in prison.[14] Weeks also defended Corcoran when he and Daniel H. Coakley were also charged with conspiracy to extort later that year. They were found not guilty on all counts.[15] In 1927 Weeks represented Jerry Gedzium, a convicted murder who was appealing his death sentence. The conviction was upheld by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.[16]