| Bill Bulger | |
|---|---|
| President of the University of Massachusetts | |
| In office 1996–2003 |
|
| Appointed by | William Weld |
| Preceded by | Shirley Penney |
| Succeeded by | Jack M. Wilson |
| President of the Massachusetts Senate | |
| In office 1978–1996 |
|
| Preceded by | Kevin B. Harrington |
| Succeeded by | Tom Birmingham |
| Member of the Massachusetts Senate for the First Suffolk District |
|
| In office 1971–1996 |
|
| Succeeded by | Stephen Lynch |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office 1961–1970 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Michael Bulger February 2, 1934 Dorchester, Massachusetts |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Bulger (1960-present) |
| Relations | Whitey Bulger (brother) |
| Children | 6 sons: Bill, Jim, Patrick, Dan, Chris, Brendan 3 daughters: Sarah, Mary, Kathleen |
| Occupation | politician, educator, attorney (retired) |
| Nickname(s) | Billy |
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.
Contents |
Bulger was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, 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.[1] 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.[1]
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.[1]
Bulger became interested in politics in 1959 and was first elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives 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.
During the 1960s, he led efforts to write the first child abuse 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.[1]
Although a Democrat, Bulger was appointed President of the University of Massachusetts 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.
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.'"[2]
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.[2]
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.[3] Months later, the committee report found Bulger's testimony "inconsistent" about whether the FBI had contacted him in its search for his fugitive brother.[3]
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.[4]
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.[5]
Bulger is a past president of the Boston Public Library 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.[6]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kevin Harrington |
President of the Massachusetts Senate 1978 - 1996 |
Succeeded by Thomas Birmingham |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Sherry H. Penney |
President of the University of Massachusetts 1996 - 2003 |
Succeeded by Jack M. Wilson |