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
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 ...
. 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
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
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.
See also
*
1991–1992 Massachusetts legislature
The 177th Massachusetts General Court, consisting of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives, met in 1991 and 1992 during the Governor of Massachusetts, governorship of Bill Weld. William Bulger served as President ...
*
1993–1994 Massachusetts legislature
The 178th Massachusetts General Court, consisting of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives, met in 1993 and 1994 during the Governor of Massachusetts, governorship of Bill Weld. William Bulger served as President ...
*
1995–1996 Massachusetts legislature
The 179th Massachusetts General Court, consisting of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives, met in 1995 and 1996 during the Governor of Massachusetts, governorship of Bill Weld. William Bulger served as President ...
*
1997–1998 Massachusetts legislature
*
1999–2000 Massachusetts legislature
*
2001–2002 Massachusetts legislature
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