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Albert Leo "Dapper" O'Neil (April 12, 1920 – December 19, 2007) was an American politician who served as a
socially conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social instituti ...
member of the
Boston City Council The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councillors are elected to two-year terms and there is no ...
for twenty-eight years. Prior to joining the council, he served on the Boston Licensing Board and was an operative for the
Mayor of Boston The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a mayor to a four- ...
James Michael Curley James Michael Curley (November 20, 1874 – November 12, 1958) was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served four terms as mayor of Boston. He also served a single term as governor of Massachusetts, characterized ...
.


Early years

O'Neil graduated from
Roxbury Memorial High School Roxbury Memorial High School is a defunct four-year public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades. Originally founded as Roxbury High School, the school was situated at 26 Townsend Street, in the Roxbury neighborhood of Bo ...
in 1937, and attended
Suffolk University Law School Suffolk University Law School (also known as Suffolk Law School) is the private, non-sectarian law school of Suffolk University located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, across the street from the Boston Common and the Freedom Trail, two block ...
, but left before graduating to serve in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. After the war, he graduated from the
Staley School of the Spoken Word Staley School of the Spoken Word also known as "Staley School of Oratory", "Staley School", or "Staley College", was a college in Brookline, Massachusetts, founded by Dr. Delbert Moyer Staley, that closed in 1957. Originally named College of the Spo ...
with a degree in oratory. He worked with a railroad company and was then employed by the state housing board. In a 1978 interview, O'Neil explained that he got his nickname because his mother was very meticulous about how her children dressed, and where he grew up (the
Roxbury Roxbury may refer to: Places ;Canada * Roxbury, Nova Scotia * Roxbury, Prince Edward Island ;United States * Roxbury, Connecticut * Roxbury, Kansas * Roxbury, Maine * Roxbury, Boston, a municipality that was later integrated into the city of Bosto ...
neighborhood of Boston) "everybody had a nickname."


Political career

From 1948 to 1961, O'Neil ran for office five times, three times for state representative and once apiece for City Council and School Committee, losing all five races. He then chauffeured for Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate
Endicott Peabody Endicott Howard Peabody (February 15, 1920 – December 2, 1997) was an American politician from Massachusetts. A Democrat, he served a single two-year term as the 62nd Governor of Massachusetts, from 1963 to 1965. His tenure is probably ...
. After Peabody was elected
Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachuse ...
in November 1962, he considered appointing O'Neil as his patronage secretary; however, O'Neil made public comments critical of the
Massachusetts Democratic Party The Massachusetts Democratic Party (MassDems) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is chaired by Gus Bickford. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling all nine of Massachusetts' U. ...
chairman, Gerard F. Doherty, and the job went to a
Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Englan ...
attorney, William J. Luby. In October 1963, Peabody appointed O'Neil to the Boston Licensing Board. In
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establ ...
, O'Neil ran for
Mayor of Boston The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a mayor to a four- ...
, finishing eighth in the preliminary election with only 0.95% of the vote.


Boston City Council

In January 1971, O'Neil was appointed to the Boston City Council after the resignation of
Louise Day Hicks Anna Louise Day Hicks (October 16, 1916 – October 21, 2003) was an American politician and lawyer from Boston, Massachusetts, best known for her staunch opposition to desegregation in Boston public schools, and especially to court-ordered b ...
, who had been elected to the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...
. He was subsequently re-elected fourteen times, each term being two years. While on the Council, O'Neil thrice ran for Suffolk County Sheriff. He lost the Democratic nomination to Thomas Eisenstadt in 1974, Dennis J. Kearney in 1978, and Robert Rufo in 1986. In 1992, he was elected Council President after the death of
Christopher A. Iannella Christopher A. Iannella (May 29, 1913 – September 12, 1992) was a member of the Boston City Council in Boston, Massachusetts, for 33 years, spanning the late 1950s until his death. He also served eight one-year terms as City Council presiden ...
. In November 1999, O'Neil finished fifth (behind Francis Roache,
Stephen J. Murphy Stephen J. Murphy is the Suffolk County register of deeds, serving since 2017. From 1997 until 2016, he served as an at-large member of the Boston City Council. Murphy is a member of the Democratic Party. Boston City Council Murphy was formerl ...
,
Peggy Davis-Mullen Peggy Davis-Mullen (born 1960) is a former member of the Boston City Council in Boston, Massachusetts, having served from 1994 to 2001. She ran for Mayor of Boston in the 2001 mayoral election against incumbent Thomas Menino Thomas Michael ...
, Michael F. Flaherty) in an at-large race in which the top four make the council. In a story published in ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' after O'Neil's loss, Boston historian Thomas H. O'Connor wrote, "This is the last hurrah not merely for a man but for the politicking he represents." O'Connor went on to say that O'Neil's career endured "largely through the kinds of loyalties he built up over thirty years, from people for whom he'd done favors, and they'd never forget him, and they'd talk about him to their relatives. He built a political career on a system of local patronage."


Political views

O'Neil was a longtime supporter of the right to bear arms; he was known to carry a
.38 .38 caliber is a frequently used name for the caliber of firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). Th ...
handgun A handgun is a short- barrelled gun, typically a firearm, that is designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun (i.e. rifle, shotgun or machine gun, etc.), which needs to be held by both hands and also brac ...
, which he drew at least twice to capture criminals, and he stated in a 1976 council meeting, "I'm an excellent shot. I'll protect people against anyone who comes through that door." In January 1999, O'Neil confirmed he was a supporter of
Council of Conservative Citizens The Council of Conservative Citizens (CofCC or CCC) is an American white supremacist organization. Founded in 1985, it advocates white nationalism, and supports some paleoconservative causes. In the organization's statement of principles, it st ...
, a white supremacist group, leading to a heated exchange with fellow councillor
Gareth R. Saunders Sir Gareth (; Old French: ''Guerehet'', ''Guerrehet'') is a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. He is the youngest son of King Lot and Queen Morgause, King Arthur's half-sister, thus making him Arthur's nephew, as well as brother ...
.


Personal life

In 1995, Boston newspapers reported that harassment complaints had been filed against O'Neil by a female city worker and a female college student; O'Neil later counter-sued the complainants, claiming that he had been slandered. A 1984 recording by O'Neil of the song "The Irish Belly Dancer" can be found online. In 1996, he won $50,000 from a
Massachusetts Lottery The Massachusetts Lottery was established on September 27, 1971, following the legalization of gambling by the Massachusetts General Court, the legislature of the Commonwealth. The Lottery is administered by a commission of 5 members, who includ ...
scratch ticket. O'Neil never married; he had a girlfriend, Helen T. Skrzowski, for 56 years. After treatment for
prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that su ...
in 1992 and 1993, O'Neil had
cancer surgery Surgical oncology is the branch of surgery applied to oncology; it focuses on the surgical management of tumors, especially cancerous tumors. As one of several modalities in the management of cancer, the specialty of surgical oncology has evolve ...
in January 1998. As of 1997, he was legally blind. O'Neil died in December 2007—his funeral was held at St. Theresa of Avila Church in
West Roxbury West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts bordered by Roslindale and Jamaica Plain to the northeast, the town of Brookline to the north, the cities and towns of Newton and Needham to the northwest and the town of Dedham to t ...
; he is buried in Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.


References


Further reading

* * * * * * (video)


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oneil, Dapper 1920 births 2007 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II Suffolk University Law School alumni Boston City Council members Massachusetts Democrats 20th-century American politicians Blind people from the United States