Thomas Francis Birmingham (August 4, 1949 – January 20, 2023) was an American politician who served as the

President of the Massachusetts Senate The president of the Massachusetts Senate is the presiding officer. Unlike the United States Congress, in which the vice president of the United States is the ''ex officio'' president of the United States Senate, in Massachusetts, the president of ...

. He is widely credited, along with

Mark Roosevelt Mark Roosevelt (born December 10, 1955) is an American academic administrator and politician serving as the seventh president of the Santa Fe campus of St. John's College. He was the President of Antioch College from January 2011 to December 2 ...

, with passage of a sweeping education bill, th
Education Reform Act of 1993
He was a graduate of

Austin Preparatory School Austin Preparatory School is a co-educational Catholic school located in Reading, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1961. The institution is colloquially r ...

, Phillips Exeter Academy,

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, and Harvard Law School, and he received a Rhodes Scholarship to study at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

after his 1972 graduation from

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for Massachusetts governor in 2002, despite impressive fundraising. An avid cyclist, Birmingham biked across the state of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

in 2001. In 1999, his proposal to keep the home stadium of the New England Patriots in

was accepted by Patriots owner

Robert Kraft Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment ...

and passed by the state legislature. Birmingham served as senior counsel at the law firm of

Edwards Wildman Palmer Edwards Wildman was an AmLaw 100 law firm. It was formed from the 2011 merger of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge and Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon. Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge had been formed by the 2005 merger of Edwards & Angell LLP and Palmer ...

, taught state and local government at

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

and education policy at Northeastern University in Boston. In March 2014, he joined Citizen Schools Massachusetts as executive director. In early 2015, he left Citizen Schools Massachusetts to become a distinguished senior fellow in education at Pioneer Institute. His is listed as a notable holder of the Birmingham coat of arms. His wife, Selma Botman, has a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern Studies from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

and served as the President of the

University of Southern Maine The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston in the U.S. state of Maine. It is the southernmost of the University of Maine System. It was founded as two separate state universit ...

. They have two daughters, Erica and Megan. Birmingham died on January 20, 2023, at the age of 73.

References

External links

Distinguished Senior Fellow in Education at Pioneer Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birmingham, Tom 1949 births 2023 deaths American Rhodes Scholars Harvard Law School alumni Massachusetts state senators Presidents of the Massachusetts Senate Politicians from Chelsea, Massachusetts Harvard College alumni Lawyers from Chelsea, Massachusetts Phillips Exeter Academy alumni

See also

References

External links