How Massachusetts Became a “Blue State”

Patrick Joseph Kennedy,
shown here as a state
representative serving
Boston in 1888, was a
son of Irish immigrants
and grandfather to
John F. Kennedy.

When one thinks of the quintessential “blue states” in the U.S., Massachusetts is always on or near the top of the list.  This wasn’t always the case, however. The transition from a strong Republican state government to a strong Democratic state government began in 1928 and continued through 1958--with the Republican Party further weakening into the 1970s.  This shift is evidenced in the political complexions of the House and Senate, and the year 1958 marks the turning point in which the Democrats truly become the majority party in the General Court.  Although this change appears quite recent, the history leading up to it goes much further back in time.

James Michael Curley in 1901 during
 his campaign for Massachusetts
State Representative. He was the
son of Irish immigrants and served
multiple terms as Mayor of Boston
and in the U.S. House of
Representatives. Image courtesy
of Images of America: A Journey
Through Boston Irish
History by Dennis P. Ryan.

The most important historical factors that contributed to the weakening of the Republican Party and the ascension of the Democratic Party in Massachusetts were immigration and birth rates, both which greatly changed the state’s population patterns.  Beginning in the early to mid-19th century  Massachusetts, which was once an “old-stock Yankee Protestant state,” saw the mass arrival of Irish Catholic immigrants escaping the potato blight and famine that was devastating Ireland.  Due to conflict with Republican Yankees, who had absorbed the anti-Catholic members of the dissolved Know Nothing Party, the majority of Irish and other Catholic immigrant groups largely identified as Democrats.  Over the course of thirty or so years, from the 1860s through the 1890s, the Irish also began to dominate local Democratic ward committees, municipal positions (police officers, firemen, etc.), and labor unions—which strengthened the group’s political clout in the state.  Immigrant groups also greatly increased birth rates and tended to have larger families than the Yankee Protestants.  These changes in the state’s demographics also affected the once polarized party ideologies:  the Democratic Party became “de-radicalized” and the Republican Party became less conservative.

While this blog post touches upon what are considered to be the biggest historical influences, there were other factors that also played a part in the political shift.  Here are some suggested resources for further reading, all of which are available in the library:

• Leading the Way: A History of the Massachusetts General Court, 1629-1980
• Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (“Bird Books”) [online resource], which contain photographs and biographies of legislators beginning in 1885 up through the 2009-2010 session.
• The Boston Irish: A Political History
• Boston’s Immigrants, 1790-1880: A Study in Acculturation
• Boston’s Labor Movement: an Oral History of Work and Union Organizing[online resource]; also available in the library.

Kaitlin Connolly
Reference Department

Video Resources That Can Help You With Your Legislative Research

Many researchers who visit the State Library for legislative research purposes also inquire about
videos of executive branch coverage or legislative proceedings.  Here are some recommendations that we at the library have found to be particularly helpful over the years.

State Library’s House and Senate Floor Session Video Collection
Allowing my bias to take the reins, I will first mention the library’s videotape collection of House and Senate floor sessions (i.e. debates).   Housed in our Special Collections Dept. (Room 55 of the State House), the collection goes as far back as November of 1987 when the library began receiving copies of these videos.  Important to note is that from 1987 to 1993 the videos are that of the House only.  In addition to floor sessions, the collection also contains a handful of committee hearings.  Knowing if it’s House or Senate you want to see, and a specific date, is most helpful for our librarians when requesting video availability.  Our videos must be viewed on site, and copies cannot be produced by the library.  If you have any questions about our video collection, you can contact our Special Collections Department at 617-727-2595, or by email at special.collections@state.ma.us.

Massachusetts House and Senate Broadcasts: http://masslegislature.tv
This website provides “access to live gavel-to-gavel proceedings” of the legislature.  There is also an archive of videos, going back as far as January of 2007.  The types of videos you will find here include committee hearings, formal House sessions, Senate sessions, Joint sessions, and other events (ex. inaugural addresses, roundtables, etc.)  You can search by exact date or date range, by keyword, or you can browse the list by clicking “List all archived events.”

The Massachusetts Legislature’s Website:  https://malegislature.gov/Events/Search 
The legislature’s website allows users to search its “Events Archives,” which includes House, Senate, and joint sessions, committee hearings, and other special events.  The archive goes back as far as April of 2007, but it’s important to remember that not every event listed in the archive has a video.  If a particular event had a video available, a green video camera icon will appear to the right of the event name.  Users can search for an event by exact date or date range, or by keyword.

State House News Service: http://www.statehousenews.com/
SHNS is an independent, subscription-based wire service that covers the activities of the state’s government year-round.  Their multimedia content includes videos of interviews and events, as well as audio recordings, organized by date, of House and Senate sessions.  Patrons of the State Library can access SHNS onsite in the library.

Boston TV News Digital Library: http://bostonlocaltv.org/
This website is an archive of news content produced by a number of Boston-area TV news programs, and covers the years 1960 through 2000.  Users can search the collections through a general keyword search that, when submitted and results are yielded, allows for additional filters (collection, places, date).  Videos (including interviews) of governors, legislators, and committee hearings, and various other institutions and events can be found within this digital library.

C-Span Video Library: http://www.c-span.org/
C-Span focuses on televising the proceedings of the federal government, but other public affairs programming is available in their online video archive.  Videos can be searched by typing in a keyword in the search bar near the top of the home page, and also by choosing “videos” from the drop down menu to the left of the bar.  For example, searching “Charlie Baker” (with quotes) yields 10 results, including press conferences and gubernatorial campaign coverage.  Once results are yielded, users can narrow down their topic with a variety of additional filters.

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/
Almost everyone is familiar with YouTube, but it’s often overlooked as a resource for legislative proceedings or executive branch coverage.  While the videos are not as organized or curated in the same way as the above mentioned websites, the benefit is that you can cast a wide net and discover videos that you may not find anywhere else.  For example, if you search for “Massachusetts legislature” hearing, various videos of committee hearings and testimony are among the list of results.

Kaitlin Connolly
Reference Department

A Treasured Reference Book in the State Library

As with all State Houses across the country, the Massachusetts State House constantly “buzzes” with political activity. The State Library is right in the center of all of that exciting work and the reference desk is constantly visited by those wanting to learn about their government.

Visitors to the library, in person or via e-mail, want information about members of the Massachusetts General Court (the legislature).  The Massachusetts Political Almanac is a source reference staff consult constantly to answer these inquiries.  This volume gives biographical backgrounds.  It includes information about the members’ districts.  Election results, organization membership and committee assignments are noted.  A section on key votes by a legislator includes explanations of the issues which have been catalysts for the votes.

The library has received renditions of this source for nearly forty years and a section or volume on the Executive Branch was added with the 1985/1986 session.  In early years, the Political Almanac was known as the Massachusetts Research Center’s Massachusetts State Officials, “an almanac.”

The 2014 edition has more information than ever.  It contains a special pull-out map of the House and Senate districts, a feature added in 2013.  Sections of note in the current volume include:

• photographs and biographies of all of the members 
• Information and staff listings for Executive agencies with photographs
• Constitutional Officer profiles: (Governor, Lt. Governor, State Auditor, Attorney-General, Secretary of the Commonwealth and State Treasurer)
• The Supreme Judicial Court profiles
• Directory of the Appeals Court
• The Congressional Delegation
• Legislators listed by city/town

The current publisher, Craig Sandler, from the State House News Service, (a private newsgroup located in the State House), has included a section on State House News Service Top Ten Stories from 2013 and a section addressing Racial Change in the Bay State.  Another is entitled: Massachusetts Statewide Demographic Data.  There is even a section on Legislative House Values.

One other key section which helps with overall questions about the state is entitled Milestones in the History of Massachusetts.  It is a fascinating compendium.

In numerous ways, the political almanacs are what one might term “a reference librarian’s dream source.”  The current volume is out in the reference area.  Copies of many year’s volumes are kept in a separate area near the library’s main floor.  The arrival of a  new edition is a welcome “event” for staff.

Please visit us here in the State House to view the almanacs and our many holdings about state government.


Pamela W. Schofield
Legislative Reference Librarian

Tom Meagher: the Original “Candy Man” for the Massachusetts Legislature

If you ever get a chance to flip through one of the late 19th or early 20th century Souvenirs of Massachusetts Legislators (available online), which provide photographs and biographical sketches of Massachusetts legislators during the years in which they served, you’ll come across an interesting character.  In the 1897 souvenir, editor Arthur Milnor Bridgman states in his introduction: “This Souvenir contains also a special feature in the picture of Tom Meagher, the gallant one-armed veteran of the War, who has been for many years a popular fixture as the ‘candy man.’”  But don’t be fooled by his tongue-in-cheek nickname--Tom was a cigar dealer.


Bridgman’s caption for photo (left): “’Tom Meagher,’

the Veteran of the War of the Rebellion, Who has been the popular 

“Candy Man” of the Legislature for, lo, these many years.” 
Meagher was located on the 3^rd floor, outside
 the entrance to the House Lobby.

Meagher, a kind and familiar face in the State House for “lo, these many years”, worked his concession counter toward the latter half of the 19th century.  The timeframe of his tenure is unclear, but by the mid-nineteen teens, when the publication went through a reformatting, his “feature” was no longer included.  By 1919, a new proprietor by the name of Pierce O’Connell took up residence in Meagher’s stead.  Notice anything familiar behind O’Connell’s counter?

From the 1920 book Public Officials of
Massachusetts ('Bird Book')

 With the scant information provided by Bridgman, and from the caption accompanying Meagher’s photograph, what we do know is that he was a Civil War veteran.  Additional research tells us that he was born in Ireland sometime around 1835 and immigrated to the United States in 1855.  Assuming that he fought under the auspices of Massachusetts, one will find that there are a handful of entries for Thomas Meaghers in the multi-volume set Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the Civil War.  One entry in particular, for a soldier who fought in Company C of the 1st Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, sticks out among the rest:

(Vol. I, p. 21)

This is the only entry that mentions wounds received in battle--undoubtedly a reference to Meagher’s gravely injured right arm (for which he later received a government pension).  Virginia was the scene of much violence during the Civil War.  From June 25th to July 1st, 1862, under the Union campaign leadership of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan against Confederate campaign under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, Henrico (which includes Fair Oaks) and Hanover Counties experienced a series of six battles known as the Seven Days Battles; it’s probable that our Tom Meagher sustained his injuries during the first at what is now called the Battle of Oak Grove.

I wish we could know a lot more about Tom Meagher.  As a Civil War veteran who, in his youth, experienced the horrors of battle in a country divided, who then retired to the humble life of selling cigars and chit-chatting with members of the Massachusetts General Court, we can only imagine the fascinating stories he could relate to us today.  It’s certain that he was well-loved and respected by all that had the pleasure of talking with him, and the inclusion of his “feature” in over a decade’s worth of legislative souvenirs, as well as his near life-size portrait that hung on the wall outside the House lobby, is testament to their appreciation.


Kaitlin Connolly
Reference Dept.

An Anomaly: The Massachusetts Census Here today (1970); Gone tomorrow (1974)

Recently, the reference staff received a question regarding a little-known 1971 state census. Massachusetts has taken a census in years ending in 5 since the mid-1800’s and the results are available on the State Library’s website. The United States government also conducts a census in years ending in 0; starting in the year 1790.

We discovered that there was a Massachusetts Constitutional Amendment adopted in 1970 (XCII-#92), which called for a state census in 1971 and every tenth year thereafter. The amendment also refined how the General Court was composed. At that time, the House of Representatives consisted of 240 members and the Senate of 40 members. The General Court (the Legislature) held a constitutional convention in both 1968 and 1969 to pass this Constitutional Amendment. There were court cases to dispute the census results by Brockton, Lowell and others. There were questions about the counting of students, especially for Cambridge.

Constitutional Amendment XCII was annulled in 1974. The General Court held constitutional conventions in both 1971 and 1973. The people of Massachusetts approved the annulment which was on the 1974 ballot; this became amendment CI (#101). Amendment CI also reduced the size of the General Court to 160 members of the House of Representatives and 40 Senators. The 1971 census was completed, but apparently the results were never published. The returns are available at the State Archives.

For more information about the Massachusetts Constitution and General Court (Legislature), please visit us in room 341 of the State House. The State Library is open Mondays through Fridays from 9 am to 5 pm.

Now Available Online: Legislative Photograph Collection

We at the State Library are excited to announce that our photograph collection of members of the Massachusetts legislature, also known as Photograph 361, has been made available through our DSpace electronic documents repository.

This collection is a priceless historical, genealogical, and legislative resource that provides visual documentation of over 3400 individuals who served in the Massachusetts General Court from 1855 up to 1908. These photographs, many of which cannot be found elsewhere, wonderfully supplement resources such as the biennially-published Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and help paint a more complete picture of the history of the General Court.

This project would not have been possible without the folks at the Boston Public Library’s digitization lab, as well as the support of the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

For more information about our legislative photograph collection, please contact our library’s Special Collections Department at 617-727-2595.

Kaitlin Connolly

Reference Department

Item of the Month for April 2013 - Questions and Answers on Legislative History

Senate                                                                        House

 
Lawmakers in the Commonwealth, members of the Massachusetts General Court, make the laws in the state. The Senate and House chambers (above) are where much of the legislative process happens. All proposed laws, whether they are or are not enacted can be researched in the State Library which is, of course, located in the State House.

In the course of any day in the library, there are inquiries about conducting legislative history. The wish to find this history is one of the major reasons for a visit to the library, be it a visit in person or by online inquiry. Reference staff help with inquiries of all kinds about the process and are often in receipt of questions such as the following:

1. What is Massachusetts legislative history?

It is the process of following a legislative petition (bill) to its enactment or to its failure.

2. What is the name of the Massachusetts legislative branch and how many legislators are there?

The General Court- there are 160 members of the House, 40 of the Senate. All are elected every two years.

3. There is a source which compiles legislative history for federal laws- "United States Congressional and Administrative News". Is there such a source for Massachusetts laws?

No, one must actually compile the history from scratch.

4. What are some official sources used in the library to conduct legislative history?

• Legislative petitions or bills
• House and Senate Journals
• Massachusetts General Laws
• Legislative Record or Index
• Bulletins of Committee Work
• Massachusetts Acts and Resolves

5. What is the difference between “chapters” of the Massachusetts General Laws and “chapters” of the Acts and Resolves?

The General Laws are organized into chapters representing overall subject areas. These chapters may be comprised of many different years’ Acts and Resolves. The Acts and Resolves are comprised of laws signed each year and the “chapter” numbers are assigned chronologically, determined merely by the date they are signed into law by the Governor.

6. How are the “general laws” updated?

These are updated when the legislature passes “acts” or “chapters” as mentioned above.

7. What are the compilations of the General Laws called? 

There are 3 compilations of the Massachusetts laws. The official set, published every two years, is updated with supplements. It is called General Laws of Massachusetts and is updated with supplements and Interim supplements. 

The two privately published sets- Massachusetts General Laws Annotated and the Annotated Laws of Massachusetts are updated with annual pocket parts and interim supplements.

8. How soon after the Governor signs a bill into law does it become effective?

Most become effective after 90 days. These 90 days include holidays and weekends. Some acts, become effective immediately and there will be wording saying: "This act shall take effect upon its passage". 

9. What is a “carryover provision” and does Massachusetts have it?

This provision allows a bill introduced in the first year of each two year legislative session which does not pass (elections are held in even years and the sessions are two years beginning in the January after the election) to be considered in the second year.

Before a rules change in 1994, a bill not passed in the first year would “die” and have to be reintroduced the next year and assigned a different number. The “rules change” allowed for a “carryover provision.”

10. What does “engrossment” mean?

Once both branches of the legislature have passed a bill, it goes to the Engrossing Division and is typed on special paper for a final vote enacting it.

 

Pamela Schofield
Legislative Reference Librarian

Item of the month for January 2013

Written by Cornelius Dalton, in collaboration with John Wirkkala and Anne Thomas, Leading the Way: A History of the Massachusetts General Court 1629-1980 is a valuable source for anyone interested in the story of the state and its government. Divided into six parts: Origins, 1629-1775, Founding-1776-1780, Legislating for the Common Good, 1780 -1865, Pioneering in Progressive Legislation 1866-1915, A Changing Commonwealth 1915-1950, and A New Era, 1950-1980, this book is a classic and beautifully written history of the Commonwealth which has and will continue to touch historians, politicians and all with an interest in Massachusetts. Often consulted for reference questions here in the State Library, the book includes short, illustrated biographies of Senate Presidents and Speakers of the House, a listing of the political “complexion” of the General Court for the years 1867 until 1980 and pages giving the lengths of legislative sessions. This “treasure” stands out as a uniquely valuable source for those wishing to know the history of the Massachusetts General Court.

Cornelius Dalton’s own story is in itself a beautiful State House tale. A political reporter, he worked for 39 years for the Herald-Traveler. To Boston Globe reporter David Farrell, who remembered Dalton in a piece in 1985, he was “Mr. Chips”:

“The scholarly Dalton, who wrote about local and national politics for more than four decades, died last Thursday. His death caused little more than a ripple in the local media which is dominated by people who were in diapers when Dalton was in his prime. But the qualities that made him special will never pass away. His integrity, professional standards, patriotism, warmth and sincerity were the hallmarks of his distinguished career. Dalton was one of a kind. As a young political reporter in the early 1950s, I had the good fortune of breaking in under him at the State House. He was a beautiful man, my Mr. Chips.” (Boston Globe, September 16th, 1985, page 15).

A copy of Leading the Way is kept at the Reference desk for referrals by our staff. The library has several copies for circulation.

Pamela W. Schofield

Legislative Reference Librarian

State Library of Massachusetts

Unidentified Legislative Photographs: The Mysteries Continue!

A few months ago, I shared an interesting photographic mystery that piqued our curiosity: the seated picture of a woman from our bound 1869 Senate photograph album.  We at the State Library wondered—who was she?  What relationship did she have with the legislature in 1869?  Was she an important figure in Massachusetts history?  Unfortunately, we haven’t come any closer to an answer, but these questions did engender many spirited attempts to uncover her identity—and we have had a lot of fun throughout the process.

However, she is just the beginning of many more mysteries surrounding identity.  While most of the legislators and officers in our legislative photograph collection (known also as Photograph 361) have been successfully identified, there are about 70 photographs that still remain otherwise.  In an effort to attach names to these faces, as well as involve the public in this fun project, we have made all of the unidentified photographs available for viewing on our State Library Flickr account.

If you recognize any of these past members of the Massachusetts General Court, or have strong suspicions that you might know who one or more of them are, let us know by contacting the State Library at reference.department@state.ma.us. 

Kaitlin Connolly
Reference Department

 

 

A Photographic Mystery: An Anonymous Picture of a Woman in the 1869 Senate Album

Sometimes a little mystery makes a project all the more interesting! In a recent blog entry, I reported on our newly digitized legislative photograph collection and some of the characteristics I observed. Since then, I have been working ardently on creating and fixing metadata that will be attached to each photograph. Although the project is moving along pretty smoothly, some snags are to be expected—namely trying to identify unidentified legislators, officers of the court, and other images included within the collection. I’ve been largely successful with the bound Senate albums, relying greatly on the relationship between the order of the pictures in the album and the senators’ seating arrangements found in the Manuals of the General Court, but I am finding that the loose photographs are incredibly difficult to identify.

One image in particular pleasantly surprised me: our Senate album for the year 1869 concludes with a final picture of an anonymous woman. Keep in mind, the first female Massachusetts legislator did not serve until 1923 (also see our updated list of women in the Mass. Legislature), so this is a bit of a head-scratcher. Who was she? Was she the widow of an important Massachusetts legislator? Women’s suffrage continued to be an active cause during this time period—could she have been making waves in the legislature? Was she an officer for the Senate? Her picture comes at the end of the album where the officers were typically located. Nevertheless, officers and appointees of the General Court in the 19th century were, like legislators, exclusively men; it wasn’t until the early 20th century that we begin to see women appointed to positions such as cashiers and stenographers. Unfortunately, the 1869 Manual of the General Court, as well as the Journal of the Senate for that year, provide no helpful information on who she was and the role she played.

If you recognize the woman in this picture, or have strong suspicions that you might know who she is, please contact the State Library at reference.department@state.ma.us.

Kaitlin Connolly
Reference Department

Treasures of the State Library for August, 2012: Massachusetts Legislators as Authors

Members of the Massachusetts legislature, known as the General Court, come to office from many professions- lawyering, insurance, social work, retail, teaching, policing, academia, manufacturing and farming just to name a few. Over the course of their careers, many also become authors of books which find a place in the world of politics and government. For many years, the State Library has requested that Legislators leaving office consider donating their papers to the State Library. The books and personal papers become part of the State Library's collections. 

Former Senate Minority Leader John Parker, from Taunton, relished writing about “legislative life” and about his long career in the Senate which ranged from 1953 until 1990. His The Fun and Laughter of Politics is full of chapters with enticing names such as “The Constituents always Write” and “The Country Needs Me.” The State Library also has his papers collection number is Ms. Coll. 35.

For another perspective on legislative life, one might wish to read former Representative from Framingham Barbara Gray’s book A Woman’s Ways and Means (her papers collection number Ms. Coll. 114).

Her tales about her role through twenty-four years in the Massachusetts House, have engaging chapter titles such as “What’s A Nice Girl Like You Doing in Politics?” and “Lost in the State House.” Representative Gray served from January 1973 through January 1997.

Massachusetts legislators are often known as experts on public policy. One recent example is former Representative John E. McDonough of Boston who served in the House from January of 1985 until December 1st 1997 when he resigned to join the Institute for Health Policy at Brandeis University. Representative McDonough played a major role in the formation of the Massachusetts Health Care Law signed in 2006 and has been touted as influential in the development of the federal Affordable Care Act.

In Experiencing Politics: A Legislator’s Stories of Government and Health Care, published in 2000, the author focuses on “Agendas and Children’s Health Care,” but also on issues such as “landlord and tenant” and “fiscal crisis.” His papers can are also available collection number is Ms. Coll. 101.

These are, of course, just three examples of a plethora of members who are published. And, it so happens that the State Library not only owns these three legislators’ books, but has also been fortunate to have garnered the legislative papers of all three. The manuscript collections, located in the Special Collections Department, are of great value to researchers.


Pamela W. Schofield
Legislative Reference Librarian
State Library of Massachusetts

State Library Legislative Photograph Collection

Thanks to the hard working folks at the Boston Public Library, our large collection of legislative photographs has finally been digitized! The collection, which spans inclusively from 1855 up to 1908, is comprised of various formats of loose photographs, as well as bound legislative portrait albums depicting members of the Massachusetts General Court during their years served. Also digitized are the versos of photographs when necessary, which provide important identifying information and, in many cases, the name of the photography studio.

As mentioned in our previous blog post, which details our efforts to produce a comprehensive database based on our legislative biographical file, our goal is to make all of these images electronically accessible to the public in the near future. The photographs will compliment images already available in our digitized collection of “Bird Books” and Souvenirs of Massachusetts Legislators, as well as fill in some of the years that are not currently available.

While browsing through the photographs, one thing I found interesting was that many images (as evidenced on those from the 1855 Senate) were signed by their respective legislators and have various handwritten messages such as “With great respect”, “Yours in love”, “Fraternally yours”, and “Receive my considerations”. Also notable in this collection is a wonderful early image of John James Smith (1825-1906), a native Virginian, entrepreneur, and African American legislator who was elected to serve Boston in 1868, three years after the conclusion of the Civil War.

In addition to the services provided by the BPL, the project was supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. For more information about our legislative photograph collection, please contact our library’s Special Collections Dept. at 617-727-2595.

Kaitlin Connolly

Library Technician, Reference Dept.