In Memoriam: James F. McNulty, Jr.

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Almost lost in the crush of news coming out of our state capitol this week was the sad news of the passing of former Congressman Jim McNulty. I did not know Jim well, but I did volunteer on his campaigns back in the early 1980s, and I saw him frequently at Democratic Party events over the years since. He was always pleasant to me with a ready smile and a quick Irish wit. He was a good and decent man dedicated to public service.

The Arizona Daily Star published the news of his death, from which I have edited and rearranged some of the paragraphs Jim McNulty, congressman who made his home in political arena, dies at 83:

Jim McNulty was born in 1925 into an Irish-Catholic family in the Boston suburbs.

He was drafted into the Army in 1944 and served as a drill sergeant during World War II, training infantry soldiers at Fort McClellan, Ala.

McNulty came to Tucson and enrolled at the University of Arizona in 1946.

By 1952, he had a law degree, a wife, a son, a job in a Bisbee law firm and a hankering for politics. Two daughters would follow.

He became chairman of the Cochise County Democratic Party and assisted with the campaign to make sure John F. Kennedy was nominated as the Democratic candidate for president.

McNulty was elected to the state Senate in 1968, serving until 1973.

He represented the rural counties of Graham, Greenlee and Cochise — where he lived and practiced law — in the state Senate and in 1982 he was elected from Arizona's 5th Congressional District to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served one term.

He was defeated in 1984 by Jim Kolbe.

"It was," McNulty wrote in his autobiography, "Running Uphill," "the most exciting job I ever had. I loved it."

After he lost his re-election bid for the House of Representatives in 1984, members of the Democratic Party wanted him to run for Congress again in 1986.

But he chose to continue practicing law and living as a private citizen. He retired in 1992.

McNulty held appointments on state boards, including the Arizona Board of Regents, which oversees the state universities, and the Arizona State Hospital.

He also served on the state Board of Education.

Jim McNulty had lived in an assisted-living community since last year after residing in Downtown Tucson for about 25 years, his son Michael McNulty said.

In addition to his son, he is survived by his wife of 59 years, Jacqueline Boevers McNulty, his sister, Ann Whitehead, and daughters Cynthia McNulty and Amy McNulty.

You can learn more about the life of Jim McNulty and sign the online guest book at his obituary Tucson.com | Obituaries and Guest Books, from which I will briefly add:

Jim McNulty's civic activities were too numerous too mention. Among his favorites were Little League coach, the Tucson Literary Society, and the Board of the DeGrazia Foundation. His efforts on behalf of the Catholic Church, the Democratic Party, and the University of Arizona were unrelenting for half a century. His life was devoted to ensuring inclusiveness and opportunity, and protecting the least fortunate among us. He was devoted to his grandchildren, and he tried to inspire them and all of us to step up and make a difference in the lives of others, and to fearlessly tackle the great issues of the day.

A public Visitation, to which all are invited, will be held at CARRILLO'S TUCSON MORTUARY from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, 2009. A private burial will follow on Friday, July 3, 2009. A Memorial Mass will be held on July 18, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. at the San Augustine Cathedral, Bishop Kicanas presiding. His family recommends that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the University of Arizona Foundation's endowment. And they would encourage those who held his values dear to renew their own efforts to realize the promise that is America.

A lawyer friend of mine who knew Jim well offered to submit a more personal commentary on the passing of his friend, Jim McNulty. The following commentary is by Barry Kirschner, Esq.

Jim McNulty died June 30, 2009. Jim’s long career in the public spotlight included being Congressman from Tucson and southeastern Arizona after the creation of CD 5 in the 1980 census. Jim ran against Jim Kolbe, then a member of the Arizona Senate who had a large role in shaping the district he would compete in. McNulty surprised many persons with his victory over Kolbe.

Jim came to Arizona as a young man after high school success at Boston Latin, considered the finest public school in Boston. He ran for student body president at the University of Arizona and lost to Morris Udall. As Jim later wrote in his book, that was the last time he got on a team opposed to a Udall.

The first memory I have of Jim McNulty was May 1972 as Senator from Cochise County standing on the floor of the Arizona Senate to decry the impending passage of Arizona’s farm labor, or anti-farm labor, act. He spoke with conviction and a sense of fairness. He cared about working persons, including those who worked on the farms, were Hispanic, and were left out of helpful legislation like the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Years later Jim campaigned for the Democratic nomination to oppose Senator Barry Goldwater in 1980, losing the nomination to Bill Schulz. Southern Arizona Democrats worked hard in McNulty’s successful 1982 campaign for United States Congress against Jim Kolbe, and his loss in the Kolbe re-match of 1984. McNulty maximized his incumbency by working hard for his district in Congress. Kolbe, stunned by losing a race in a district he designed for victory, worked the district constantly while McNulty was in Washington. Changing demographics were kind to Kolbe. The growth areas in Sierra Vista and east Tucson tended Republican. The Phelps Dodge strike of 1983 tore apart small communities with reliable Democratic voting patterns in Cochise and Greenlee counties.

McNulty was a good man with an outstanding sense of humor. He was a faithful grandpa who would watch his granddaughter perform in the Tucson Girls Chorus. He was the adventurous elder statesmen who joined the Peace Corps after his 60th birthday. His family stayed active with him in Democratic causes. Son Michael has been instrumental in Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords campaign success in his father’s old district.

McNulty told me the story of riding in the Congressional elevator with some flag waving ultra-nationalist Congressman from the deep south. Jim was wearing a tie showing the flag of the Republic of Ireland, and a U.S. flag pin on his lapel. The Congressman asked Jim what the ”other” flag was. Jim told him that was the stars and stripes, the flag of the United States of America.

McNulty returned to practice law in Tucson in the late 1980s. His was a friendly face, a quick wit, and an endearing manner. He knew how to speak to children. He knew politics, history, Latin, and Broadway show tunes. He seemed to know everything Irish. He had an impish smile.

In 2004 shortly after Jim published his book Running Uphill, my father in law Bill Nixon was depressed and sick after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Bill knew Jim slightly, and knew many of the people referenced in Running Uphill. Jim wrote a brief but elegant inscription, to an honest newsman. Bill loved the book, and reading it helped get him out of his funk. I told this to Jim and he agreed to join Bill for lunch sometime.

Jim was a good man who touched many lives. If you haven’t done it already, buy Running Uphill. If you drink, have an Irish whiskey in his honor.

For those of you who plan to attend Drinking Liberally, raise a toast in honor of a good man, Jim McNulty.