Biography for
Thomas P. 'Tip' O'Neill More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

9 December 1912, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Date of Death

5 January 1994, Boston, Massachusetts, USA (cardiac arrest)

Birth Name

Thomas Phillip O'Neill Jr.

Mini Biography

Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr. (December 9, 1912 - January 5, 1994) was a Massachusetts politician who win the House seat vacated by John F. Kennedy when he ran for the Senate in 1952. An outspoken liberal Democrat, O'Neil became one of the most influential members of the House of Representatives, rising to the Speakership of the House in 1977. He held the post until his retirement from Congress in 1977, after 34 years in the House. He was the second-longest-serving Speaker in history after Sam Rayburn.

During the Presidential administration of Ronald Reagan, Tip O'Neil -- whose nickname was that of a famous baseball player of the 19th Century -- was the face of the Democratic Party and of liberalism. He was beloved in his district and in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and will long be remembered for his commitment to the liberal welfare state championed by Democratic Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman and Lyndon Johnson, a commitment that frequently had him clash with Democratic President Jimmy Carter, a fiscal conservative.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Jon C. Hopwood

Spouse

Mildred Anne Miller

(17 June 1941 - 5 January 1994) (his death) 5 children

Trivia

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (1977-87).

B.A., Boston College (1936). A library, a scholarship fund and a faculty position are named after O'Neill. His son, Thomas III, is a College Trustee.

Books: Man of the House (1987); All Politics is Local--And Other Rules of the Game (1993).

Children: Thomas III, Rosemary, Christopher, Michael, and Susan.

U.S. Representative from Massachusetts (1953-1987).

In his yearbook, he was elected "Class Caveman".

Personal Quotes

"I've known personally every president since Jack Kennedy and I can honestly say that Ronald Reagan was the worst. But, he'd have made a hell of a king!"

Browse biographies section by name

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z