Mr. O’Brien made the Shipping and Commercial List a strong paper and merchants quickly began to rely upon it for accurate information as regards mercantile and commercial affairs.  He also issued the first annual reports of Boston’s trade and commerce, and that volume has been adopted for years by the Merchants’ Exchange, The work in connection with his newspaper naturally brought him into personal contact with the foremost merchants of Boston.  These gentlemen who have known him intimately for forty years, have nothing but words of praise concerning his character, honesty, and business sagacity.  He has witnessed the city grow from a population of 75,000 inhabitants to over 400,000, and all the changes in business methods, together with the multifarious enterprises in which Boston has engaged, are perfectly familiar to him, and he has not been backward in helping to promote such changes and enterprises as would benefit all classes of citizens.  Prominent business men have not only spoken well of Mr. O’Brien, but they have given a practical illustration of their faith in him by making him the custodian of trust funds for various purposes, and in no instance has their confidence been misplaced.  His financial abilities have always been acknowledged to be first-class, and therefore it is not surprising to learn that for years he has been President of the Union Institution for Savings, Treasurer of the Franklin Typographical Union, and a director in various benevolent and charitable institutions.

It is very natural, in view of the business training and abilities of Hugh O’Brien, that he should be heard from in public life.  Such vigorous and brainy men do not escape the attention of the people.  In 1875 he took a seat in the Board of Aldermen, when the Boston Advertiser referred to him as “well-known in the community and has the respect and confidence of every one.”  It is well known in political circles that Mr. O’Brien did not seek this office and has never been an applicant for any office.  He also served as Alderman in the years 1875, 1876, 1877, 1879, 1880, 1881 and 1883, and was chairman of the Board four years.

His public career as Alderman was closely watched by the people and is well known.  During his service in that capacity he gave to municipal affairs the same careful study that he had devoted to business matters when in private life.  He served upon important committees, and all the great questions of vital interest to the welfare of Boston which have come up of late years, in which he had also been interested while in private life, received his official attention and prompt action.  Notable among these were good pay for laborers, purification and improvement of the water supply, a useful system of parks, sanitary reforms, schools, abolition of the poll tax, and last but not least, low taxation.  He has always been found on the right side of these and other important questions and has labored long and diligently, in the face of opposition, to carry out the ideas of the taxpayers in relation to them.  Bostonians well know the signal success which has crowned his efforts.