William M. Bulger
Encyclopedia
William Michael "Billy" Bulger (born February 2, 1934) is a retired American Democratic Party
politician, lawyer, and educator from South Boston, Massachusetts
, who for many years was President of the Massachusetts Senate
and president of the University of Massachusetts
. He was forced to resign from the office of president of the University of Massachusetts after it was revealed that he had communicated with his fugitive brother, James J. Bulger.
, to James Joseph Bulger and Jane Veronica "Jean" McCarthy, who were of Irish
descent. He is third of six children in the family, and younger brother of former mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger. When Bulger was four years old, the family moved to South Boston's Old Harbor Village
housing project, soon after it opened, in 1938. He grew up there and has maintained lifelong friendships with many of those who were his former neighbors, including best friend, Korean war Marine P.O.W. and Purple Heart recipient Fred L. Toomey. The late Congressman Joe Moakley
(1927–2001) was also a close childhood neighbor. Although the Bulger family was poor, William matriculated into Boston College High School
. He enrolled at Boston College
in 1952, but his undergraduate career was interrupted when he joined the United States Army
in order to serve his country in the Korean War
. He served from September 1953 to November 1955, then returned to Boston College
, completing his undergraduate degree in English Literature with the help of the G.I. Bill. He attended Boston College Law School
, from which he received his Doctor of Jurisprudence
degree in 1961.
As a graduate of Boston College High School
, Boston College
(as an undergraduate), and Boston College Law School
, Bulger is what is commonly referred to as a "triple eagle
." He is also the recipient of over 20 honorary degrees from a variety of academic institutions.
in 1961. After serving four terms, Bulger was elected to the Massachusetts State Senate in 1970 representing the First Suffolk District. He was elected President of the Massachusetts State Senate in 1978 and re-elected every two years to 1996, making his time as State Senate President the longest tenure
in Massachusetts history.
Bulger joined other Irish American
neighborhood leaders in opposition to court-ordered desegregated busing.
Like other Massachusetts politicians who were elected leaders of their legislative chambers, Bulger was frequently pilloried in the media, but remained very popular in his district. He won his district election every two years from 1961 to 1994 without ever facing a challenge more serious than he faced in the Democratic primary in 1988, when Stephen Holt, a neophyte liberal activist and bookstore owner from Dorchester won 31 out of 60 precincts, only to lose the district by a landslide due to the huge turnout of Bulger supporters in South Boston.
reporting laws in the state. He was supportive of environmental protection legislation.
Bulger was among the first advocates of charter schools and public school choice. During the 1980s, he advocated funding of public libraries, the expansion of childhood nutrition services and fuel assistance programs. As Senate president, Bulger led the debate on welfare reform
in the early 1990s, with the resulting legislation becoming the model for a national law.
For many years, Bulger hosted the annual St. Patrick's Day Breakfast in South Boston. This is a "roast" of politicians.
by Republican
Governor William Weld
in 1996.
On August 6, 2003, Bulger announced that he would resign as President of the system effective September 1, 2003. His resignation came due to pressure from Governor Mitt Romney
after Bulger had refused to cooperate with authorities who were searching for Bulger's brother, the notorious mobster James "Whitey" Bulger. In addition to Bulger the entire Senior Staff of the Office of the President of the University of Massachusetts resigned. Jack Wilson, a hand-picked Bulger staffer, who was overseeing the creation of the University Online Web Learning Portal was tapped to be the interim President. He would later take the post in whole.
During the hearing, when asked what he thought James (Whitey) did for a living, William Bulger said: Rep. ...
He added that he loves his brother and hopes that the most brutal rumors concerning him will be proven false. In addition, he grudgingly admitted to visiting an isolated pay phone in order to speak to his older brother, who was by then a fugitive. As fallout from these remarks, he was forced out by then-Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney
from his position as president of the University of Massachusetts in 2003.
Bulger also testified that the FBI never asked if he knew of Whitey's location. Those remarks were disputed by a former FBI agent who claimed Bulger declined to submit to an interview with the bureau. Months later, the committee report found Bulger's testimony "inconsistent" about whether the FBI had contacted him in its search for his fugitive brother.
The controversy over the relationship between the two brothers, one a political leader, the other a crime boss, is further examined in a recent book The Brothers Bulger by Howie Carr
published by Warner Books, New York in 2006.
Upon Whitey's arrest in California in June 2011, William Bulger issued a statement expressing his "sympathies to the families hurt" in the case, and asking for privacy for his family.
Board of Trustees and continues to serve on the board. He is also Overseer Emeritus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
. In addition, he is a former member of the Massachusetts General Hospital
Board of Trustees, Museum of Fine Arts
Board of Trustees, McLean Hospital
Board of Trustees and Citizens Bank of Massachusetts Board of Directors. He joined the faculties of Boston College
and Suffolk University
as a lecturer of political science in 2004. In August 2008 he was a featured guest on The Kindle Chronicles, a weekly podcast program on the Amazon Kindle and the reading habits of Kindle owners. Bulger lives in South Boston with Mary, his wife whom he married in 1960. They have nine children and 33 grandchildren. According to the Boston Herald list of State pensions, Bulger is currently receiving a pension from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at a rate of $198,205.92 annually.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician, lawyer, and educator from South Boston, Massachusetts
South Boston, Massachusetts
South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. One of America's oldest and most historic neighborhoods, South Boston was formerly known as Dorchester Neck, and today is called "Southie" by...
, who for many years was President of the Massachusetts Senate
President of the Massachusetts Senate
The President of the Massachusetts Senate is the presiding officer. In the United States Congress, the Vice President of the United States is the ex officio President of the United States Senate. In Massachusetts, however, the President of the Senate is elected from and by the Senators...
and president of the University of Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
. He was forced to resign from the office of president of the University of Massachusetts after it was revealed that he had communicated with his fugitive brother, James J. Bulger.
Early life
Bulger was born in Dorchester, MassachusettsDorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
, to James Joseph Bulger and Jane Veronica "Jean" McCarthy, who were of Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
descent. He is third of six children in the family, and younger brother of former mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger. When Bulger was four years old, the family moved to South Boston's Old Harbor Village
Old Harbor Housing Project
The Old Harbor Housing Project, formally known as the Mary Ellen McCormack Project, is a housing project opposite Carson Beach in South Boston, Massachusetts.-History:...
housing project, soon after it opened, in 1938. He grew up there and has maintained lifelong friendships with many of those who were his former neighbors, including best friend, Korean war Marine P.O.W. and Purple Heart recipient Fred L. Toomey. The late Congressman Joe Moakley
Joe Moakley
John Joseph "Joe" Moakley was a Democratic congressman from the Ninth District of Massachusetts, a seat held two years earlier by Speaker John William McCormack. Moakley was the last chairman of the U.S...
(1927–2001) was also a close childhood neighbor. Although the Bulger family was poor, William matriculated into Boston College High School
Boston College High School
Founded in 1863, Boston College High School is an all-male Jesuit Roman Catholic college preparatory secondary school with historical ties to Boston College. It has an enrollment in grades 7-12 of approximately 1,500 students and is located on a campus on Morrissey Boulevard in the Dorchester...
. He enrolled at Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
in 1952, but his undergraduate career was interrupted when he joined the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in order to serve his country in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. He served from September 1953 to November 1955, then returned to Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
, completing his undergraduate degree in English Literature with the help of the G.I. Bill. He attended Boston College Law School
Boston College Law School
Boston College Law School is one of the six professional graduate schools at Boston College. Located approximately 1.5 miles from the main Boston College campus in Chestnut Hill, Boston College Law School is situated on a wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts.With approximately 800 students and...
, from which he received his Doctor of Jurisprudence
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree in 1961.
As a graduate of Boston College High School
Boston College High School
Founded in 1863, Boston College High School is an all-male Jesuit Roman Catholic college preparatory secondary school with historical ties to Boston College. It has an enrollment in grades 7-12 of approximately 1,500 students and is located on a campus on Morrissey Boulevard in the Dorchester...
, Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
(as an undergraduate), and Boston College Law School
Boston College Law School
Boston College Law School is one of the six professional graduate schools at Boston College. Located approximately 1.5 miles from the main Boston College campus in Chestnut Hill, Boston College Law School is situated on a wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts.With approximately 800 students and...
, Bulger is what is commonly referred to as a "triple eagle
Double and Triple Eagles
An Eagle, in general, is a nickname for a person who graduated from Boston College High School or a Boston College school, typically as an undergraduate, or as a graduate student, including Boston College Law School...
." He is also the recipient of over 20 honorary degrees from a variety of academic institutions.
Political career
Bulger became interested in politics in 1959 and was first elected to the Massachusetts House of RepresentativesMassachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
in 1961. After serving four terms, Bulger was elected to the Massachusetts State Senate in 1970 representing the First Suffolk District. He was elected President of the Massachusetts State Senate in 1978 and re-elected every two years to 1996, making his time as State Senate President the longest tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
in Massachusetts history.
Bulger joined other Irish American
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
neighborhood leaders in opposition to court-ordered desegregated busing.
Like other Massachusetts politicians who were elected leaders of their legislative chambers, Bulger was frequently pilloried in the media, but remained very popular in his district. He won his district election every two years from 1961 to 1994 without ever facing a challenge more serious than he faced in the Democratic primary in 1988, when Stephen Holt, a neophyte liberal activist and bookstore owner from Dorchester won 31 out of 60 precincts, only to lose the district by a landslide due to the huge turnout of Bulger supporters in South Boston.
Political milestones
During the 1960s, he led efforts to write the first child abuseChild abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
reporting laws in the state. He was supportive of environmental protection legislation.
Bulger was among the first advocates of charter schools and public school choice. During the 1980s, he advocated funding of public libraries, the expansion of childhood nutrition services and fuel assistance programs. As Senate president, Bulger led the debate on welfare reform
Welfare reform
Welfare reform refers to the process of reforming the framework of social security and welfare provisions, but what is considered reform is a matter of opinion. The term was used in the United States to support the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act...
in the early 1990s, with the resulting legislation becoming the model for a national law.
For many years, Bulger hosted the annual St. Patrick's Day Breakfast in South Boston. This is a "roast" of politicians.
President of the University of Massachusetts System
Although a Democrat, Bulger was appointed President of the University of MassachusettsUniversity of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Governor William Weld
William Weld
William Floyd Weld is a former governor of the US state of Massachusetts. He served as that state's 68th governor from 1991 to 1997. From 1981 to 1988, he was a federal prosecutor in the United States Justice Department...
in 1996.
On August 6, 2003, Bulger announced that he would resign as President of the system effective September 1, 2003. His resignation came due to pressure from Governor Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
after Bulger had refused to cooperate with authorities who were searching for Bulger's brother, the notorious mobster James "Whitey" Bulger. In addition to Bulger the entire Senior Staff of the Office of the President of the University of Massachusetts resigned. Jack Wilson, a hand-picked Bulger staffer, who was overseeing the creation of the University Online Web Learning Portal was tapped to be the interim President. He would later take the post in whole.
Controversy over brother
Bulger's older brother James J. "Whitey" Bulger, is an alleged former Boston crime boss accused of murder and several other crimes. Whitey was a fugitive from justice from 1995 until his arrest in June 2011. William Bulger's role in his brother's escape from authorities is a matter of some dispute. On June 19, 2003, he testified to a House of Representatives committee about an incident in which, while still President of the Massachusetts State Senate, he "went to an arranged location in 1995 to take a call from his fugitive brother, apparently to avoid electronic eavesdropping. He said that accepting the call from the gangster without bothering to inform the FBI was 'in no way inconsistent with my devotion to my own responsibilities, my public responsibilities.'"During the hearing, when asked what he thought James (Whitey) did for a living, William Bulger said: Rep. ...
I had the feeling that he was in the business of gaming and... whatever. It was vague to me but I didn't think, for a long while he had some jobs but ultimately it was clear that he was not being, you know, he wasn't doing what I'd like him to do.
He added that he loves his brother and hopes that the most brutal rumors concerning him will be proven false. In addition, he grudgingly admitted to visiting an isolated pay phone in order to speak to his older brother, who was by then a fugitive. As fallout from these remarks, he was forced out by then-Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
from his position as president of the University of Massachusetts in 2003.
Bulger also testified that the FBI never asked if he knew of Whitey's location. Those remarks were disputed by a former FBI agent who claimed Bulger declined to submit to an interview with the bureau. Months later, the committee report found Bulger's testimony "inconsistent" about whether the FBI had contacted him in its search for his fugitive brother.
The controversy over the relationship between the two brothers, one a political leader, the other a crime boss, is further examined in a recent book The Brothers Bulger by Howie Carr
Howie Carr
Howard Louis "Howie" Carr, Jr. is an American journalist, author, and conservative radio talk-show host based in Boston with a listening audience rooted in New England.-Radio:...
published by Warner Books, New York in 2006.
Upon Whitey's arrest in California in June 2011, William Bulger issued a statement expressing his "sympathies to the families hurt" in the case, and asking for privacy for his family.
Active retirement and family
Bulger is a past president of the Boston Public LibraryBoston Public Library
The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was the first publicly supported municipal library in the United States, the first large library open to the public in the United States, and the first public library to allow people to...
Board of Trustees and continues to serve on the board. He is also Overseer Emeritus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
. In addition, he is a former member of the Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
Board of Trustees, Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
Board of Trustees, McLean Hospital
McLean Hospital
McLean Hospital is a psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts.It is noted for its clinical staff expertise and ground-breaking neuroscience research...
Board of Trustees and Citizens Bank of Massachusetts Board of Directors. He joined the faculties of Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
and Suffolk University
Suffolk University
Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with over 16,000 students it is the third largest university in Boston...
as a lecturer of political science in 2004. In August 2008 he was a featured guest on The Kindle Chronicles, a weekly podcast program on the Amazon Kindle and the reading habits of Kindle owners. Bulger lives in South Boston with Mary, his wife whom he married in 1960. They have nine children and 33 grandchildren. According to the Boston Herald list of State pensions, Bulger is currently receiving a pension from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at a rate of $198,205.92 annually.
Bibliographical works
- Bulger, William M. While the Music Lasts: My Life in Politics. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1996. ISBN 0-395-72041-9.
- Burke, John J. A Profile in Political Power, a 2010 documentary produced by JAMAR Productions, highlights the political career of William M. Bulger.
- Carr, Howie. The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston For a Quarter Century. Lebanon, IN: Warner Books (Hachette Book Group, Inc.), 2006. ISBN 0-446-57651-4.
External links
- Gitell, Seth. "Bulger's Denouement." Boston Phoenix December 12, 2002. Accessed September 11, 2006.
- Billy Bulger
- 60 Minutes segment about Bulger, aired in 1992
- A Profile in Political Power