| Office1: | Member of the Massachusetts Senate |
| Term Start1: | May 3, 1972 |
| Term End1: | January 3, 1985 |
| Predecessor1: | Samuel Harmon |
| Successor1: | William R. Keating |
| Constituency1: | Fifth Suffolk (1972-1974) Norfolk and Suffolk (1975-1984) |
| Office2: | Member of the Boston City Council |
| Term Start2: | 1967 |
| Term End2: | 1971 |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Birth Date: | 3 October 1938 |
| Birth Place: | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Canton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Spouse: | Elaine |
| Children: | 6, including James and Kelly |
| Education: | Providence College |
| Branch: | United States Marine Corps |
| Battles: | 1958 Lebanon crisis |
Joseph F. Timilty (October 3, 1938 - December 22, 2017) was an American politician.
Timilty was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was a member of the Boston City Council from 1967 to 1971 and served in the Massachusetts Senate from 1972 to 1985. Timilty was a Democrat.[1]
Timilty was a candidate for Mayor of Boston in 1971,[2] 1975[3] and 1979.[4]
Eight years after leaving office, on January 27, 1993, Timilty was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.[5] On August 31, 1993, he was sentenced to four months in prison and two years of probation.[6]
In 2001, he was a candidate in the special election to fill the vacancy in the 9th congressional district caused by the death of Joe Moakley. He dropped out of the race due to fundraising issues.[7]
Timilty's grandfather James P. Timilty was a state senator and the namesake of the James P. Timilty Middle School in Boston. His uncle Joseph F. Timilty was Boston Police Commissioner from 1936 to 1943. His son, James E. Timilty is a former State Senator and now Treasurer of Norfolk County, and his nephew, Walter Timilty Jr. is a State Senator. His daughter, Kelly Timilty, was a member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council. His brother, Walter F. Timilty Sr. is the Clerk of Courts in Norfolk County. Timilty went to Providence College. He served in the United States Marine Corps. He was involved with his family's laundry business and with the real estate business. Timilty also served as a teaching fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. He died of cancer at his home in Canton, Massachusetts.[8]