Transcript of Oral History Interview of Congressman John Joseph Moakley

Transcript of Oral History Interview of Congressman John Joseph Moakley

Boston (Mass.)
Busing for school integration
Cuba
El Salvador
Massachusetts--Politics and government
Moakley, John Joseph, 1927-2001
O’Neill, Tip
South Boston (Boston, Mass)
Suffolk University. Law School
United States. Congress

In this interview, Congressman John Joseph Moakley, who represented Massachusetts' Ninth Congressional District from 1973 until his death in 2001, discusses his life and political career. While he only reflects briefly on Judge W. Arthur Garrity's 1974 decision in the case of Morgan v. Hennigan, which required some students to be bused between Boston neighborhoods with the goal of creating racial balance in the public schools (see transcript, page 18), the interview provides significant insight into Moakley's character and political views. He also discusses his childhood in South Boston; his military background; his experiences at Suffolk University Law School; his career in both state and national politics; and some of the issues that have been important to him during his career, especially in regards to human rights violations and injustice in El Salvador.

John Joseph Moakley Archive & Institute at Suffolk University, Boston, Mass.

Moakley Oral History Project

John Joseph Moakley Archive & Institute at Suffolk University, Boston, Mass.

April 2, 2001

Kintz, Laura

Copyright Suffolk University. This item is made available for research and educational purposes by the John Joseph Moakley Archive & Institute. Prior permission is required for any commercial use.

Moakley Oral History Project: http://moakleyarchive.omeka.net/collections/show/1

PDF (Computer file format)

English

Oral history interview transcript

OH-001

MOV video (QuickTime)
Note: Original video recording is available for viewing at the John Joseph Moakley Archive & Institute at Suffolk University, Boston, Mass.

1:48:47

See PDF transcript

Allison, Robert J.
McEttrick, Joseph

Moakley, John Joseph

District office of Congressman John Joseph Moakley, South Boston, Mass.

Part 1
Growing up in South Boston p. 3 (00:02)
Military service p. 9 (10:29)
State political career p. 12 (16:05)
Member of Congress (1973-2001) p. 19 (29:30)
Evelyn Moakley p. 25 (41:24)
Suffolk University Law School p. 26 (43:34)
Thoughts on political figures p. 30 (47:58)
Improvements to Boston p. 36 (1:00:30)
Part 2
El Salvador involvement p. 43 (13:55)
Cuba p. 49 (29:09)
Reflections of almost fifty years in public office p. 53 (39:07)