Joe Moakley | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 1999 | |
| Chair of theHouse Rules Committee | |
| In office May 30, 1989 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Claude Pepper |
| Succeeded by | Gerald Solomon |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's9th district | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – May 28, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Louise Day Hicks |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Lynch |
| Member of theMassachusetts Senate from the 4th Suffolk district | |
| In office 1965–1971 | |
| Preceded by | John E. Powers |
| Succeeded by | William M. Bulger |
| Member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives from the7th Suffolk district | |
| In office 1953–1963 | |
| Preceded by | William F. Carr |
| Succeeded by | William M. Bulger |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Joseph Moakley (1927-04-27)April 27, 1927 Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | May 28, 2001(2001-05-28) (aged 74) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Education | South Boston High School[1]Suffolk University (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Moakley, as chair of theHouse Rules Committee, speaks on establishing a joint commission on the reorganization of Congress Recorded June 18, 1992 | |
John Joseph Moakley (April 27, 1927 – May 28, 2001) was an American politician who served as theUnited States representative forMassachusetts's 9th congressional district from 1973 until his death in 2001. Moakley won the seat from incumbentLouise Day Hicks in a 1972 rematch; the seat had been held two years earlier by the retiring Speaker of the HouseJohn William McCormack. Moakley was the last Democratic chairman of theU.S. House Committee on Rules before Republicans took control of the chamber in 1995. He is the namesake of bothJoe Moakley Park and theJohn Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse inBoston.
Moakley was born inSouth Boston, Massachusetts, April 27, 1927, and grew up in theOld Harbor public housing project. Lying about his age, he enlisted in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II and was involved in thePacific War from 1943 to 1946.[2] After returning home, Moakley attended theUniversity of Miami inCoral Gables, Florida from 1950 to 1951, and he received hisLL.B. atSuffolk University Law School in Boston in 1956.
In 1958, he partnered with his Suffolk classmate Daniel W. Healy, and together they opened a law practice at 149A Dorchester Street in South Boston. They remained legal partners into the late 1970s.
Moakley was a member of the Portuguese American Civic Club located inTaunton, Massachusetts. Moakley served in theMassachusetts House of Representatives from 1953 to 1963 and in theMassachusetts Senate from 1964 to 1970.[3] He was a delegate to the1968 Democratic National Convention.[3] After the retirement of longtime CongressmanJohn W. McCormack, Moakley ran for the Democratic nomination in the Ninth District but lost to Boston School Committee chairLouise Day Hicks, who gained support based on her opposition to school desegregation.[2] He was a member of theBoston City Council from 1971 to 1973.[3]
In 1972, Moakley ran as an independent against Hicks and defeated her by 3,448 votes.[2] Moakley was sworn in to Congress on January 3, 1973, one day after having switched his party affiliation back to the Democratic Party.[3] He was reelected 14 times, never facing substantive opposition. He facedRepublican challengers only six times; the other times, he was either completely unopposed or faced only minor-party opposition. In 2002, he posthumously received the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award for his unrelenting commitment to ending the war inEl Salvador and throughoutCentral America, and for the compassionate care he gave his constituents in Massachusetts for nearly three decades.
He was succeeded in office by fellow DemocratStephen Lynch.
Moakley was prominent in the opposition to thelegislative veto, which became an increasingly popular device in the 1970s. He held up in committee a controversial bill proposed by Rep.Elliott Levitas that proposed to institute the legislative veto as a general feature of legislation. His position was vindicated when the Supreme Court held inINS v. Chadha (1983) that the legislative veto violated thebicameralism and presentment clauses of theU.S. Constitution.[4]
Moakley led a special panel that investigated the1989 deaths of six Jesuit priests and two women in El Salvador. The United States ended its military aid to El Salvador in part because of the Moakley Commission's report implicating several high-ranking Salvadoran military officials in the murders.[5] Moakley had a close relationship with Salvadoran activistLeonel Gómez Vides.[6][7]
Joe Moakley chaired theCommittee on Rules from the101st Congress through103rd Congress.
In 1996, Moakley declined an offer to have a new bridge in Boston named in his honor, but accepted the suggestion to have the bridge named for his wife, following her death from cancer.[8] TheEvelyn Moakley Bridge is next to a U.S. Courthouse, which was subsequently named theJohn Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse shortly before his death.Joe Moakley Park in South Boston is also named after him.[9]
Moakley's efforts led to the acquisition byBridgewater State College (Bridgewater, MA) of a $10 million grant. The grant allowed the construction of the campus fiber network and a new regional telecommunications facility, which dramatically enhanced the teaching capabilities of the region's educational professionals. The John Joseph Moakley Center for Technological Applications in Bridgewater provides training in the use of technology for students, teachers, and members of the workforce. The three-story building houses a large computer lab, a television studio, an auditorium, and numerous classrooms.
In 2001, Moakley announced that he would not be running for re-election for his 16th term in 2002, due to his ongoing battle withmyelodysplastic syndrome. Moakley died on May 28, 2001, inBethesda, Maryland.[2] His body was interred in Blue Hill Cemetery,Braintree, Massachusetts.
TheHematological Cancer Research Investment and Education Act, enacted in 2002, established the Joe Moakley Research Excellence Program for expanded and coordinated blood cancer research programs.[10]
| Massachusetts House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives from the7th Suffolk district 1953–1963 | Succeeded by William M. Bulger |
| Massachusetts Senate | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theMassachusetts Senate from the 4th Suffolk district 1965–1971 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 9th congressional district January 3, 1973–May 28, 2001 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Claude Pepper Florida | Chairman of theHouse Rules Committee 1989–1995 | Succeeded by Gerald B. H. Solomon New York |
| Preceded by Gerald B. H. Solomon New York | Ranking Member of theHouse Rules Committee 1995–2001 | Succeeded by |
Chairs of theU.S. House Committee on Rules (1880–present) | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
