Tip O'Neill

Massachusetts Speaker who led the House through the Reagan years and personified old-line Democratic politics.

Overview

Thomas P. O'Neill, whose all politics is local became a rule of the craft, succeeded John F. Kennedy's House seat in 1953, rose to majority leader and then Speaker from 1977 to 1987, the first from Massachusetts. He presided over the post-Watergate Congress, restored its oversight vigor, and led opposition to Reagan budget and tax policy, while working deals on Social Security rescue in 1983 and other bipartisan fixes. His blend of Boston liberalism and legislative dealmaking made him the most prominent Speaker of his era and a symbol of the Franklin Roosevelt tradition.