The Kennedy family is an American political family that has long been prominent in American politics,public service,entertainment,and business. In 1884,35 years after the family's arrival from County Wexford,Ireland,Patrick Joseph "P. J." Kennedy became the first Kennedy elected to public office,serving in the Massachusetts state legislature until 1895. At least one Kennedy family member served in federal elective office from 1947,when P. J. Kennedy's grandson John F. Kennedy became a member of Congress from Massachusetts,until 2011,when Patrick J. Kennedy II retired as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island.
Joseph Bradley Varnum was an American politician from Massachusetts. He served as a U.S. representative and United States senator,and held leadership positions in both bodies. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party.
Stephen Francis Lynch is an American businessman,attorney and politician who has served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts since 2001. A Democrat,he represents Massachusetts's 8th congressional district,which includes the southern fourth of Boston and many of its southern suburbs. Lynch was previously an ironworker and lawyer,and served in both chambers of the Massachusetts General Court.
Joseph Patrick Kennedy II is an American businessman,Democratic politician,and a member of the Kennedy family. He is a son of former United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy,and he is a nephew of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy and former U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy.
John Foster Furcolo was an American lawyer,writer,and Democratic Party politician from Massachusetts. He was the state's 60th governor,and also represented the state as a member of the United States House of Representatives. He was the first Italian-American governor of the state,and an active promoter of community colleges.
Michael Kantor is an American attorney who served as the United States Trade Representative from 1993 to 1996 and United States Secretary of Commerce in 1996 and 1997.
Frederick Huntington Gillett was an American politician who served as the 42nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1921 to 1925 and as a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts from 1925 to 1931. A Republican,Gillett first began his career in politics when he served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1890 to 1891,and would go on to serve in the House from 1893 to 1925. At the time of his election,he was the oldest individual elected to a first term in the Senate,a record that he would hold until Peter Welch's victory in the 2022 United States Senate election in Vermont 98 years later.
Shannon Patricia Elizabeth O'Brien is an American politician and attorney who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1987 through 1993,in the Massachusetts Senate from 1993 through 1995,and was the Massachusetts state treasurer from 1999 through 2003. In that last position she became the first woman to be elected in Massachusetts to statewide office by her own accord. She was the Democratic Party nominee in the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election,but lost in the general election to Mitt Romney.
Peter Gerard Torkildsen is an American Republican Party politician from Massachusetts. He represented the 13th Essex district,including his hometown of Danvers,in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1985 to 1991 and represented Massachusetts's 6th congressional district,covering much of Essex County,for two terms in the U.S. House from 1993 to 1997. Torkildsen also served as chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party from 2007 to 2009.
Shearjashub Bourne was an American lawyer,jurist,and politician from Massachusetts who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and United States House of Representatives.
George Dexter Robinson was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Chicopee,Massachusetts. After serving in the Massachusetts General Court and United States House of Representatives,Robinson served three one-year terms as Governor of Massachusetts,notably defeating Benjamin Franklin Butler in the 1883 election.
Marjorie Margolies is a fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Fels Institute of Government,an adjunct faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania,and a women's rights activist. She is a former journalist and a Democratic politician. From 1993 to 1995,she was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives,representing Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district.
Sandra Lea Lynch is an American lawyer who serves as a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. She is the first woman to serve on that court. Lynch served as chief judge of the First Circuit from 2008 to 2015.
Matthew John Amorello is a former Massachusetts state senator and former chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority who presided over the Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel Project from 2002 to 2006. The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority is the agency that was in charge of the Big Dig project.
Valerie June Jarrett is an American businesswoman and former government official serving as the chief executive officer of the Obama Foundation since 2021. She was the longest-serving senior advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama. She was assistant to the president for public engagement and intergovernmental affairs,overseeing the office of the same name,and chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls. Before that,she was the chief executive officer of The Habitat Company and served as a co-chair of the Obama–Biden Transition Project.
Emily Clark Hewitt is an American lawyer and minister who served as a former judge and the chief judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims.
Katherine Marlea Clark is an American lawyer and politician who has served as House Minority Whip since 2023 and the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 5th congressional district since 2013. She previously served as Assistant Speaker from 2021 to 2023 and Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus from 2019 to 2021. Clark was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2008 to 2011 and the Massachusetts Senate from 2011 to 2013.
Peter Forman is president and CEO of the South Shore (MA) Chamber of Commerce. He was formerly an American politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives,Sheriff of Plymouth County,Massachusetts,and as a member of the Paul Celucci and Jane M. Swift administrations.
Tram Nguyen is an American politician serving as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 18th Essex District. She represents the towns of Andover,Boxford,North Andover,and Tewksbury. Nguyen serves as the Vice Chair of the House Committee on Steering,Policy &Scheduling and member of Joint Committee on Mental Health,Substance Use &Recovery Committee,Joint Committee on Municipalities &Regional Governments,Joint Committee on Racial Equity,Civil Rights and Inclusion,and House Committee Human Resources &Employee Engagement. Prior to being elected as the first Vietnamese-American woman in the Massachusetts Legislature,Nguyen was an attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services providing support for survivors of domestic violence,seniors,veterans,people with disabilities,low-wage workers,and others from vulnerable communities. Nguyen is the highest ranking Asian American woman in the Massachusetts legislature.
The 179th Massachusetts General Court,consisting of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives,met in 1995 and 1996 during the governorship of Bill Weld. William Bulger served as president of the Senate and Charles Flaherty served as speaker of the House.
