[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 140 (Tuesday, October 7, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H9262-H9263]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO MILLIE O'NEILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Murphy). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey) is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, Massachusetts will miss Millie O'Neill 
dearly. She and Tip were one of the greatest couples of the greatest 
generation. I am sure that if Tip were with us today, he would say that 
he was the luckiest man in the world to have met his sweetheart Millie 
in high school, to have her willingly and joyfully join him on a 
journey through the highs and the lows of national politics in 
America's last half century, to have raised three wonderful sons and 
two outstanding daughters. Tommy, who I met at Boston College; Susan, 
who was my classmate and a history major with me at Boston College. I 
have known them my whole life.
  This is a wonderful family, and they balanced the demands of that 
journey against the love and attention that a family requires. And 
Millie emerged from it all with her love for Tip as strong and as deep 
and as transparent as the two schoolkids they once were. She leaves a 
legacy of warmth and companionship that will glow for the ages.
  Millie was pretty good at taking Tip's favorite sayings and turning 
them around to her advantage. One of my favorites is retold in Tip's 
wonderful autobiography, Man of the House. Tip loved to remind people 
in politics of the priceless advice of Mrs. O'Brian, a neighbor and 
teacher in North Cambridge. She taught him the lesson that you should 
never assume someone will vote for you. You have to ask, said Mrs. 
O'Brian. So Tip writes, ``Poor Millie is sick of hearing me tell the 
Mrs. O'Brian story, and I can't blame her. But during my long career in 
Congress, we would always go to the polls together on election day, and 
before leaving the house I would say to her, Honey, I would like to ask 
for your vote. Tom, she would reply, I will give you every 
consideration.''
  Millie's selfless devotion to her children and her grandchildren and 
her support for the March of Dimes and the arts was unparalleled. All 
of us in Massachusetts and our country feel like we have lost a pillar 
of public service. And, oh, how she loved the trips with the Rangels 
and the Contes and the Moakleys and the Michels on their journeys 
around the world, this incredible congressional delegation, with each 
of them becoming a family member of the other family in the course of 
all of the years that they traveled together.
  So for us it is a great loss, but it is I think our country's great, 
great, great honor to have had Tip and her be the Man and the Woman of 
this House for 10 years, providing a family-like atmosphere that so 
many Members long for; that brought a joy to this place, as almost a 
second home for Members when they were away rather than a place that 
they just saw as one in which they worked. Those days we all long for. 
And we thank the O'Neills for the blessings which they conferred upon 
each of us during their lives because they are amongst our fondest 
memories.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, it is with deep sadness that I pay tribute 
to a gem of a lady, Millie O'Neill, wife of former Speaker of the House 
Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill, who recently passed away. According to the 
obituary in the Boston Globe, Millie had taken an afternoon nap in 
order to watch her beloved Red Sox play the fifth and deciding game of 
the American League Division Series against the Oakland Athletics and 
she passed away in her sleep.
  Millie O'Neill was an incredible woman who was not often recognized 
for the selfless work she did for Congress and our country. Mr. 
Speaker, I want to call attention to two things that Mrs. O'Neill was 
instrumental in achieving. The first was a massive fundraising effort 
on behalf of the Ford's Theatre Foundation, raising over $4 million 
dollars, for which Millie was recognized at a Gala dinner in 1984.
  The second item that I believe Mrs. O'Neill deserves to be recognized 
for was ensuring that the House of Representatives keep normal hours 
during her husband's Speakership. According to Tip's autobiography, he 
wrote that when he became Speaker, Millie told him that she didn't want 
him keeping the House in till 8 or 9 at night because she had heard 
concerns from other Member's wives that they didn't appreciate not 
knowing when their husbands would be home. As a result, during the 
majority of Speaker O'Neill's leadership the House of Representatives 
was a more family friendly environment and did not have the all night 
sessions that plague our distinguished body today.
  Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, Mrs. O'Neill passed in her sleep while 
taking a nap in order to watch her beloved Red Sox play later that 
evening. Although her passing prevented her from watching in person, I 
am sure that she was delighted to watch the Red Sox triumph from the 
best seat in the house, next to her beloved Tip.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge of my colleagues to join me in offering the 
strongest condolences to the entire O'Neill family and request that 
today's Boston Globe article about her passing be placed in the 
Congressional Record.

                 [From the Boston Globe, Oct. 7, 2003]

        Mildred O'Neill, 89; Wife, ``Partner'' of Political Icon

                          (By Ron DePasquale)

       Mildred A. ``Millie'' O'Neill, widow and celebrated 
     sweetheart of Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill Jr., former speaker 
     of the U.S. House of Representatives, died in her sleep 
     yesterday in her Bethesda, Md., home, her family said.
       Her son, former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Thomas P. 
     O'Neill III of Boston, said Mrs. O'Neill had taken a nap, so 
     she could catch last night's Red Sox playoff game, when she 
     died. She was 89.
       Her son called her a ``lovely, perfect lady'' who enjoyed 
     taking care of her family and working for charity. His 
     parents' love was inspiring, he said. ``They were inseparable 
     at a very early age and right through to the end of their 
     lives,'' he said.
       On the dedication page of his 1987 autobiography, ``Man of 
     the House,'' Tip O'Neill referred to his wife as ``The 
     Speaker of My House. A loving wife, mother and my partner 
     through so many triumphs and trials.''
       Anyone involved in Massachusetts politics from the 1940s to 
     the 1980s could remember Tip O'Neill singing the 1930s' tune 
     ``Apple Blossom Time'' to his wife, said U.S. Representative 
     Barney Frank of Newton. ``Whenever you were with the two of 
     them, everybody was happy,'' Frank said last night. ``They 
     were like some couple out of the movies. The sense of warmth 
     that existed between the two of them was just 
     extraordinary.''
       Born Mildred Miller in Somerville in 1914, she met her 
     future husband at St. John's High School in North Cambridge, 
     where she graduated in 1932.
       At a 1999 Boston College ceremony honoring her husband with 
     a permanent library

[[Page H9263]]

     exhibit, Mrs. O'Neill said, ``life with Tom was a wonderful 
     experience, and I am proud to have shared those 50 years and 
     see parts of it displayed at this library.''
       Tip O'Neill died in 1994, ending a storied life as one of 
     the country's premier politicians. He retired from the House 
     in 1986 after 50 years in politics. His wife was a constant 
     presence in his social and political circles.
       In his autobiography, O'Neill wrote that when he became 
     speaker and Millie learned that other wives never knew when 
     their husbands were coming home at night, she told him, ``I 
     don't want you keeping them in the House until 8 or 9 at 
     night. And that, more or less, marked the end of evening 
     sessions in the House.''
       Mrs. O'Neill was chair or a member of the boards of the 
     March of Dimes, the Congressional Wives Club, and the 
     International Club. As chairwoman of the historic Ford's 
     Theatre in Washington, she was one of the first to receive 
     the Lincoln Award, in recognition in 1984 for spearheading a 
     $4 million fund-raising drive.
       ``Now, Mildred, you may have suspected now and then that 
     from time to time your husband and I find something about 
     which we disagree,'' President Ronald Reagan quipped at the 
     awards ceremony. ``But there is one thing that we sure agree 
     on--he's lucky, mighty lucky, to be the man in your life. On 
     behalf of everybody with whom you work, your work for this 
     grand, old theater has meant so much, Millie, that we all 
     thank you from the bottom of our hearts.''
       The O'Neills lived in Cambridge until 1976, when Tip was 
     named speaker and the family moved to Washington. The city of 
     Cambridge dedicated the north branch of its library as the 
     Mildred A. O'Neill Library in 1995.
       Raymond L. Flynn, former mayor of Boston, said, ``She was a 
     great friend. She was just a remarkable mother and led a 
     wonderful life and was a great representative for America.''
       In addition to her son, Mrs. O'Neill leaves two daughters, 
     Rosemary of Washington and Susan of Bethesda; a son, 
     Christopher, also of Bethesda; a sister, Dorothy Ryan, of 
     Marston Mills; and eight grandchildren. A son, Michael, died 
     in 1997. A funeral Mass will be said Friday at 10 a.m. in St. 
     John the Evangelist Church in Cambridge. Burial will be at 
     Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Harwichport, where Mrs. O'Neill had 
     long summered.

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the life of a 
wonderful woman--Mildred ``Millie'' O'Neill. After a long and 
illustrious life, she passed away in her sleep last night after 89 
years.
  Like so many congressional spouses, Millie committed her life to 
public service alongside her loving husband, Tip. While her husband was 
the Speaker of the House, she worked to advance a number of important 
causes and took leadership roles in major philanthropic groups. Her 
favorite charities and projects included the March of Dimes, the 
Congressional Wives Club, and the effort to restore historic Ford's 
Theater.
  She will be missed by everyone who knew her.
  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mildred O'Neill, wife 
of the late House Speaker Thomas P ``Tip'' O'Neill, who passed away 
yesterday.
  Mrs. O'Neill was a great political partner for her husband throughout 
his career. She was Tip's sounding board and confidant. As Tip wrote in 
All Politics Is Local, ``Every election day as Millie and I left for 
the polls, I'd say, `Honey, I'd like to ask for your vote.' `Tom,' 
she'd reply, `I'll give you every consideration.' ''
  The constituents of Massachusetts' 8th district who were represented 
by Tip O'Neill benefited greatly from her dedication. As the current 
representative from the 8th, I regularly encounter people with a story 
to tell about Mrs. O'Neill's legendary commitment to her community and 
numerous worthwhile causes.
  Mrs. O'Neill was also a devoted mother, raising five children and 
instilling in them an appreciation for public service. She was involved 
with a number of organizations, including the March of Dimes, the 
Congressional Wives Club and the International Club. She also served as 
Chairwoman of Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC, receiving the Lincoln 
Award in 1984 for her fundraising efforts. She was also very active in 
the St. John's Church Rebuilding Fund and served as President of the 
parish Guild of St. John's Church--maintaining strong ties to her 
community.
  As Tip wrote in a chapter entitled Never Forget Your Spouse, ``My 
Millie certainly did it for me. When I was off to Washington helping 
run the country, she was back home running the family. When I was at my 
low point in politics, she was giving me a hug and telling me to go out 
and do my job. When I was in the spotlight taking the applause, she was 
in the background cheering me on. I love her for it.''
  All of us from Massachusetts, but especially those from the 8th 
District, will miss Mrs. O'Neill greatly. Our thoughts are with her 
family during this difficult time.
  Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I join with my colleagues 
from Massachusetts this evening to remember Millie O'Neill, a great 
woman from our home State and the wife of the late Tip O'Neill, who 
passed away yesterday at her home.
  Millie O'Neill was a wonderful woman; a wife, a mother and an 
activist involved in many social organizations and causes. For the vast 
majority of her 89 years, she stood by Tip's side and was certainly his 
chief advisor on ``domestic'' matters. The two were married for 52 
years, and during that time the navigated the political tides of 
Massachusetts and the Capitol. They were certainly a dynamic duo.
  Tip referred to Millie as ``The Speaker of My House. A loving wife, 
mother and my partner through so many triumphs and trials.'' She was a 
mentor, a leader and a friend, and she will be missed.
  Mr. Speaker, much is going to be said this evening in honor of Millie 
O'Neill. She is deserving of all of it and more. But perhaps the best 
testament to the quality of her life--to her legacy--is the quality of 
the lives she left behind. I'd like to extend my sympathies to Millie's 
daughters, Rosemary and Susan, and her sons, Tom and Kip, and to her 
eight grandchildren, who to Millie's credit, have undoubtedly been 
instilled with an indelible respect for family and a desire to improve 
the greater public good.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great woman 
and a great American, Mrs. Mildred (``Millie'') O'Neill, who passed 
away yesterday.
  Millie was the wife of our beloved House Speaker, Tip O'Neill. On the 
dedication page of his autobiography, ``Man of the House,'' Tip 
described her as ``The Speaker of My House. A loving wife, mother and 
my partner through so many triumphs and trials.'' They enjoyed 52 years 
of marriage together, and they had five children.
  But Millie was more than merely the wife of a well-known politician. 
In addition to her dedication to her children and her husband, she very 
ably served many worthwhile causes. Mrs. O'Neill was chair or a member 
of the boards of the March of Dimes, the Congressional Wives Club, the 
International Club, and So Others Might Eat. She led a $4 million 
fundraising effort as chairwoman of the historic Ford's Theatre in 
Washington, DC, which earned her a prestigious Lincoln Award in 1984.
  In addition, she was active in many causes back in Massachusetts, 
including the St. John's Church Rebuilding Fund, and the St. Coletta's 
School for Exceptional Children.
  Mr. Speaker, Millie was a lovely, charming woman who will be missed. 
Her warmth and her sense of humor were radiant. Story has it that Tip, 
always mindful of the rule that all politics is local, would make a 
point of asking her personally for her vote every election day as they 
left for the polls. Fitting her good nature, her typical response was 
to acknowledge the request by replying only, ``Tom, I'll give it every 
consideration.''
  During the awards ceremony at which she was presented with the 
Lincoln Award, another well-known American, President Ronald Reagan, 
noted her marriage to Tip, by remarking ``he's lucky, mighty lucky, to 
be the man in your life.''

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