Posts Tagged ‘politics’
“A Friend to Cambridge”: Barney Frank’s Life and Legacy
By Beth Folsom, 2026 Although the 4th Massachusetts Congressional District does not include Cambridge, Representative Barney Frank spent a considerable amount of time addressing the city’s concerns as part of his broader legislative aims. Born and raised in New Jersey, Frank had come to Cambridge to attend Harvard University, earning his undergraduate degree in 1962…
Read MoreThe ‘Gerry’ of ‘Gerrymandering’ was one of ours, co-writer of the Bill of Rights and a vice president
Elbridge Gerry was described as cunning, obstinate, contrarian, contradictory and unpredictable – and what he did in 1812 is still shaping politics and democracy, including the upcoming midterm elections.
Read MoreAl Vellucci
By Gavin W. Kleespies, 2013 The name Al Vellucci meant different things to different people in Cambridge. But the name meant something to everyone. Vellucci was a political juggernaut, he knew everyone and was at every event. In the 1994 New York Times obituary for Tip O’Neill, Vellucci was quoted as saying “There were only…
Read More“The Absolute Majority of the Population”: Women in Twentieth-Century Cambridge
This article was originally published as a chapter in Cambridge in the Twentieth Century, edited by Daphne Abeel, Cambridge Historical Society, 2007. Inspired by Cambridge Historical Society’s 2020 theme—Who are Cambridge Women?—the author, Eva Moseley, has reviewed the manuscript and made a few updates which are noted in the text that follows. “The Absolute Majority…
Read More1905: A Year of New Beginnings
By Michael Kenney, 2015 Call 1905 “a year of new beginnings.” It marked not only the final decision on a new subway route—today’s Red Line—but also the birth of the Cambridge Historical Society. Well into the year, there was debate over whether to run a subway underground once it crossed the Charles River, or to…
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