John Joseph "Joe" Moakley (April 27, 1927 – May 28, 2001) 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. House Committee on Rules before Republicans took control of the chamber in 1995.
John Joseph Moakley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 9th district | |
| In office 1973–2001 | |
| Preceded by | Louise Day Hicks |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Lynch |
| Personal details | |
| Died | May 28, 2001 (aged 74) Bethesda, Maryland |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Evelyn Duffy Moakley |
Moakley was born in Boston, Massachusetts, April 27, 1927. He served in the United States Navy during World War II. Moakley was involved in the War in the Pacific from 1943 to 1946. After returning home, he attended the University of Miami in Miami, Florida from 1950 to 1951, and he received his LL.B. at Suffolk University Law School in Boston in 1956.
Moakley was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1953 to 1963 and a member of the Massachusetts Senate from 1964 to 1970. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention of 1968. He was a Boston City Councilman from 1971 to 1973, and an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States House of Representatives in 1970, losing to Louise Day Hicks against the backdrop of Boston's unfolding busing crisis. In 1972, Moakley was elected as an Independent Democrat to the 93rd Congress, defeating Hicks, who had secured the Democratic nomination. Once elected, he changed his party affiliation to Democratic on January 2, 1973. He was reelected as a Democrat to the fourteen succeeding Congresses (serving from January 3, 1973 to May 28, 2001).
US Representative, respected voice of conscience in Congress for his unrelenting commitment to ending the war in El Salvador and throughout Central America, and for the compassionate care he gave his constituents in Massachusetts for nearly three decades.[1] He was awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award in Sherborn Mass on June 10th 2001. [2]
Fighting the legislative veto
Moakley is quoted and referenced in Barbara Hickson Craig's book (Chadha: The Story of an Epic Constitutional Struggle) on the groundbreaking court case INS v. Chadha (1983). Moakley's role in the affair was to hold in committee a controversial bill proposed by Representative Eliott Levitas. The bill proposed a sweeping generic legislative veto. Moakley saw flaws in the bill. Later, the Chadha case's verdict declared the legislative veto unconstitutional because the veto violated the bicameralism and presentment clauses of the Constitution. While others in Congress lamented the loss of the veto, Moakley commented that the Chadha decision would help strengthen Congress.
Later career
Joe Moakley chaired the Committee on Rules in the 101st Congress through 103rd Congresses.
Moakley managed to have a bridge in Boston named for his wife, Evelyn Moakley, after her death. The Evelyn Moakley Bridge is next to a U.S. Courthouse, which was subsequently named the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse shortly before his death.
Moakley's efforts led to the acquisition by Bridgewater 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 enhances the teaching capability of the region's educational professionals and promotes the growth of the region's economy. The John Joseph Moakley Center for Technological Applications 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.
Joe Moakley died on May 28, 2001, of Myelodysplastic syndrome in Bethesda, Maryland. His body was interred in Blue Hills Cemetery, Braintree, Massachusetts[3].
References
External links
- John Joseph Moakley Archive and Institute at Suffolk University
- Congressman John Joseph Moakley Papers
- The John Joseph Moakley Charitable Foundation
- Joe Moakley biography at NNDB
- Joe Moakley and MDS at about.com
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- John Joseph Moakley Center at Bridgewater State College.