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Beatty, Jack. The Rascal King: the Life and Times of James Michael Curley, 1874-1958. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, c1992.
Call Number F70.C85 B44 1992
Curley, who served in Massachusetts politics as Councilor, Mayor of Boston, Governor and Congressman, also served two terms in prison. His political career spanned fifty years of the 20th century.
Brent, Patricia. The Massachusetts Budget Process: Beginning to End. Boston: Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators, c1984.
Call Number MR 550M3 W65 M37 1984
This short booklet gives a good overview of how the state budget is formed.
Bulger, William M. While the Music Lasts: My Life in Politics. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Co., 1996.
Call Number F71.22 B85 A3 1996
Former President of the State Senate William Bulger's memoir contains many stories of life in the political trenches. Bulger, has been a strong force in Democratic politics since the 1960s.
Burke, Anthony J. and Mary McLellan. Guide to Massachusetts Legislative and Government Research. Boston: Massachusetts General Court, Legislative Service Bureau, 1988 printing c1981.
Call Number MR 501M3 G85 1988
Although dated, this source contains a fine history of the General Court and helpful material on the legislative process.
Dalton, Cornelius, John Wirkkala, Anne Thomas. Leading the Way: a History of the Massachusetts General Court, 1629-1980. Boston: Office of the Massachusetts Secretary of State, 1984.
Call Number MR 353.3M3 L42 1984
A history of the Legislature from "Origins: 1629-1775" until "A New Era: 1950-1980." Contains sketches of many famous Massachusetts political figures. Also has helpful charts about government.
Gray, Barbara with Debra Regan Cleveland. A Woman's Ways and Means: Making It Happen.....24 Wild Years in the Massachusetts House. Framingham, Mass.: Drummer Cove Publications, 2002.
Call Number: F71.22. G73
Gray's 24 years in the Massachusetts House of Representatives included 10 as the sole female on Ways and Means. She writes of her encounters with prominent politicians and of issues she worked on including the mandatory seat belt law and domestic violence. Representative Gray donated her papers to the State Library and they are maintained in the Library's Special Collections Department.
Levitan, Donald and Elwyn E. Mariner. Your Massachusetts Government. Newton Centre, Mass: Government Research Publications, c1984.
Call Number JS 451. M45 L48 1984
Although dated (the first edition was published in 1978 and has an introduction by then Secretary of State Paul Guzzi), this has a fine history of the General Court and contains much interesting information about state agencies.
Meredith, Judith C. Lobbying on a Shoestring. Dover, Mass: Auburn House Pub. Co., c1989.
Call Number JK 2498 . M47 1989
This handy book has information on the lobbying process. Herself a prominent lobbyist, Meredith writes of how to draft bills, how to approach committee hearings and how to use the media.
Parker, John F. (compiler). The Fun and Laughter of Politics. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1978.
Call Number PN 6231. P6 F82
Senator Parker, a Republican, was the Senate Minority Leader from 1967-1989 and served in the State Senate for thirty-six years. This book and that mentioned directly below are wonderful accounts of legislative life.
Parker, John F. (ed.) Legislative Life, Its Realities, Facts, Wit & Humor: New Legislators' Orientation. Boston: Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1985.
Call Number MR 510 M3. L44 1985 and MR 510 M3 L441 1985
Rosenthal, Alan. The Decline of Representative Democracy: Process, Participation, and Power in State Legislatures. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, c1998.
Call Number JK 2488 R658 1998
Mr. Rosenthal describes legislatures of today. He writes of interest groups and their role, of the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches of government and how the process works.
See also these other books by Rosenthal, a prominent political scientist:
- Drawing the Line: Legislative Ethics in the States. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, c1996. Call Number JK 2488. R66 1996
- The Ethics Process in State Legislatures: Disciplining Members in a Public Forum. Denver, Colorado: State Legislative Leaders Foundation: National Conference of State Legislatures, c1999. Call Number JK 2445. E8. R67 1999
- Governors and Legislatures: Contending Powers. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, c1990. Call Number JK 2494. R67 1990
- Alan Rosenthal (ed.). Impurely Academic: the Letters, Memos, and Other Humorous Pieces of William J. Keefe, Political Scientist. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Books, c. 1980. Call Number JA 84.U5 K43
- Legislative Life: People, Process, and Performance in the States. New York: Harper and Row, c. 1981. Call Number JK 2488. R67
- Alan Rosenthal and Maureen Moakley (eds.). The Political Life of the American States. New York: Praeger, 1984. Call Number JK 2408. P625 1984
- The Third House: Lobbyists and Lobbying in the States. Washington, D.C. : CQ Press, c1993. Call Number JK 1118.R676 1993
Taymor, Betty. Running Against the Wind: The Struggle of Women in Massachusetts Politics. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2000. Call Number HQ 1236.5. U6 T39 2000.
Ms. Taymor, founder and former director of the Program for Women in Political and Governmental Careers (based at Boston College for 20 years), is presently a visiting fellow at the McCormack Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where the Program is presently housed. Her book reflects on her four decades as an activist. Writing about her own campaign for the state legislature in the 1960s and about the recent climate for women in politics in this state, Ms.Taymor elaborates on the hard road for women in Massachusetts' political arena.
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