Edward Boland

Edward Patrick "Ed" Boland (October 1, 1911 – November 4, 2001) was an American politician from the state of Massachusetts. A Democrat, he was a representative from Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district.

Edward Boland
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1989
Preceded by	Foster Furcolo
Succeeded by	Richard Neal
Chair of House Intelligence Committee
In office July 14, 1977 – January 3, 1985
Preceded by	Otis G. Pike
Succeeded by	Lee H. Hamilton
Register of Deeds of Hampden County
In office 1941–1952
Preceded by	C. Wesley Hale[1]
Succeeded by	John P. Lynch[2]
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 4th Hampden district
In office January 2, 1935 – January 1, 1941
Preceded by	Edward M. Cawley[3]
Succeeded by	Eugene J. Sweeney[4]
Personal details
Born	Edward Patrick Boland October 1, 1911 Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	November 4, 2001 (aged 90) Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Mary Egan
Children	4
Education	Bay Path University Boston College
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1942–1946
Rank	Captain[5]
Battles/wars	World War II

President Ronald Reagan attending a St. Patrick's Day luncheon hosted by Speaker Tip O'Neill, House Minority Leader Robert H. Michel, and Boland

Early life & education

Boland's father was an Irish immigrant railroad worker.[6] Boland was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and graduated from Springfield Central High School in 1928. He attended Bay Path Institute and Boston College Law School.

Military service

He served in the United States Army during World War II.[7]

Political career

He was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1939 to 1940 and was the Hampden County register of deeds from 1941 to 1952.

Boland was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1952.[7] Congressman Boland was in office during the closing of the Springfield Armory in 1968, and was harshly criticized for his inability to prevent its closure. This failure resulted in a challenge to Boland in 1968 by Springfield Mayor Charles V. Ryan. Boland was re-elected handily with significant help from the family of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy in what was to be the last challenge to Boland by a major contender. Boland's most famous work as a congressman was the 1982 Boland Amendment, which blocked certain funding of the Contras in Nicaragua after the Central Intelligence Agency had supervised acts of sabotage without notifying Congress.[8] Boland lived in a Washington apartment with fellow Massachusetts Congressman Tip O'Neill (whose wife remained in Massachusetts) until 1977. He retired from the House in 1989.

Personal life & Death

Boland married at the age of 62, fathering four children. Boland died in 2001 at the age of 90 from natural causes.[9]

References

1. A manual for the use of the General Court (1939)
2. A manual for the use of the General Court (1953)
3. Journal of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1934)
4. Journal of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1941)
5. EDWARD P. BOLAND, 90
6. Oliver, Myrna (November 6, 2001). "Rep. Edward Boland, 90; Opposed Aid to Contras". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
7. "BOLAND, Edward Patrick, (1911 - 2001)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
8. "The Counterrevolutionaries (The Contras)". Understanding the Iran-Contra Affairs. Brown University. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
9. Feeney, Mark (November 6, 2001). "Longtime congressman Edward Boland dies". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on November 21, 2001.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN

• United States Congress. "Edward Boland (id: B000600)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.