Linda Melconian Assistant Counsel and Legislative Assistant, Speaker Thomas P. (Tip) O’Neill of Massachusetts Oral History Interview Final Edited Transcript June 7, 2018 Office of the Historian U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. “One time, we were talking to other female Members and maybe there were three or four of us— two staff people and one or two Members. Male Members would come over to us and say, ‘Oh, what are you girls cooking up? Are you conspiring against us?’ . Three or more women . on the floor congregating—chatting—would cause concern among the male Members. Were we conspiring against them? What I found so fascinating about this experience is that years later, when I served in the Massachusetts senate [during] my freshman year, I was talking to two other female members. I had male state senators come up to us and say, ‘Are you three conspiring against us?’ I thought, ‘I can’t believe this. It’s happening here in Massachusetts years later—the same thing that happened on the House Floor in Washington.’” Linda Melconian June 7, 2018 Table of Contents Interview Abstract i Interviewee Biography ii Editing Practices iii Citation Information iii Interviewer Biography iv Interview One 1 Notes 55 Abstract Linda Melconian was a recent college graduate when Congressman Thomas P. (Tip) O’Neill of Massachusetts hired her in 1971. During the next decade, she worked closely with O’Neill as he moved up the leadership ladder from Majority Whip, to Majority Leader, and, finally, to Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. As one of the first women to hold floor privileges in all three House leadership offices, Melconian offers a unique perspective on floor proceedings, leadership initiatives, and the role of women staff members in the House. In this oral history, Melconian recalls her path from her hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts, to Capitol Hill, where she started as a legislative assistant working on the House Floor for Majority Whip O’Neill. She outlines the structure of the Democratic whip operation, including the role of congressional staff in counting votes and crafting and conveying the message of leadership. She recounts her observations in O’Neill’s office during the Watergate investigation, offering a first-hand account of the way the crisis unfolded on the House Floor. Melconian also discusses her roles as a speechwriter, researcher, and assistant counsel for O’Neill during his terms as Majority Leader and Speaker. Reflecting on Speaker O’Neill’s efforts to shape the Democratic Party’s agenda during the 1970s, she provides insight into his legislative priorities, leadership style, and his relationship with President Jimmy Carter. She highlights O’Neill’s focus on ethics reform and his foreign policy efforts, from his involvement in the Camp David Accords to his interest in finding a peaceful solution to the political violence in Northern Ireland. She also chronicles her experience on a congressional delegation to Europe in April 1979, where she joined Speaker O’Neill as he visited the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. http://history.house.gov/Oral-History/ i Biography In 1971, Linda Melconian began her career on Capitol Hill working for Congressman Thomas P. (Tip) O’Neill of Massachusetts. Over the next 10 years, she worked as a legislative assistant and assistant counsel as O’Neill served as Majority Whip, Majority Leader, and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. In doing so, she became one of the first women to hold floor privileges in all three House leadership offices and gained valuable political experience that formed the foundation of her own political career. Linda Melconian was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, the daughter of Virginia Melconian, a homemaker, and George Melconian, a line-type machinist for the local newspapers. She attended Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where she secured an internship on Capitol Hill with Massachusetts Representative Edward Boland. She also worked as an intern for Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine before graduating from college in 1970. As part of then-Majority Whip O’Neill’s staff, Melconian learned the workings of the institution from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. She represented Whip O’Neill on the House Floor and was educated in the finer points of legislating through her interactions with Members of Congress. She participated in vote-counting and the behind-the-scenes dialogue that shaped important legislation. When O’Neill became Majority Leader in 1973, Melconian added speechwriting and research to her duties on the House Floor. She also worked to build connections between the Speaker and the Democratic Caucus in anticipation of O’Neill’s future campaign for Speaker by planning district visits and serving as a liaison between Members and the Speaker on legislative matters. During O’Neill’s Speakership, Melconian was involved in the Speaker’s effort to implement ethics guidelines and revise the seniority system and the committee selection process. She also assisted the Speaker in his forays into U.S. foreign policy, providing information and accompanying him during meetings with visiting dignitaries in Washington, DC, and abroad. After completing law school at George Mason University, Melconian served as assistant counsel to Speaker O’Neill before returning to Springfield to run for a vacant seat in the Massachusetts state senate in 1981. The following year she won election to the first of 11 terms in the Massachusetts legislature, rising to become the first woman to hold the title of majority leader in the state senate. She resides in Springfield and teaches courses in government and politics at Suffolk University in Boston. http://history.house.gov/Oral-History/ ii Editing Practices In preparing interview transcripts for publication, the editors sought to balance several priorities: • As a primary rule, the editors aimed for fidelity to the spoken word and the conversational style in accord with generally accepted oral history practices. • The editors made minor editorial changes to the transcripts in instances where they believed such changes would make interviews more accessible to readers. For instance, excessive false starts and filler words were removed when they did not materially affect the meaning of the ideas expressed by the interviewee. • In accord with standard oral history practices, interviewees were allowed to review their transcripts, although they were encouraged to avoid making substantial editorial revisions and deletions that would change the conversational style of the transcripts or the ideas expressed therein. • The editors welcomed additional notes, comments, or written observations that the interviewees wished to insert into the record and noted any substantial changes or redactions to the transcript. • Copy-editing of the transcripts was based on the standards set forth in The Chicago Manual of Style. The first reference to a Member of Congress (House or Senate) is underlined in the oral history transcript. For more information about individuals who served in the House or Senate, please refer to the online Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, http://bioguide.congress.gov and the “People Search” section of the History, Art & Archives website, http://history.house.gov. For more information about the U.S. House of Representatives oral history program contact the Office of House Historian at (202) 226-1300, or via email at [email protected]. Citation Information When citing this oral history interview, please use the format below: “Linda Melconian Oral History Interview,” Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives (7 June 2018). http://history.house.gov/Oral-History/ iii Interviewer Biography Michael J. Murphy is a Historical Publications Specialist in the Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives. He earned his Ph.D. in U.S. history from Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, in 2013. Before joining the Office of the Historian, he was Visiting Associate Professor at the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies at the City University of New York. http://history.house.gov/Oral-History/ iv — LINDA MELCONIAN — A CENTURY OF WOMEN IN CONGRESS MURPHY: This is Mike Murphy in the House Recording Studio on June 7th, 2018. Today, I’m happy to speak with Linda Melconian, a former staff member for Speaker Thomas P. [Philip] (Tip) O’Neill, who went on to a long career as a Massachusetts state senator, where she became the first woman to serve as a majority leader of that body. Thank you for joining us for this interview that will be part of the Office of the Historian’s women in Congress oral history project, A Century of Women in Congress. MELCONIAN: Well, thank you, Mike, for including me in this oral history project, A Century of Women in Congress. It’s an honor and a privilege to participate, just as it was an honor and a privilege to work here in the [U.S.] House of Representatives, which is the greatest elective body in the history of the world. In our national system of government, the House of Representatives is the only place where you have to be elected to serve. You can be appointed President. You can be appointed Vice President. You can be appointed to the Senate. But you have to be elected to get here. And this is really the People’s House. As Alexander Hamilton said, “It’s here, sir, the people govern.” So to work in this institution, this House of Representatives, the People’s House, as a professional staff person for 10 years with Speaker Tip O’Neill in the Majority Whip’s Office, the Leader’s Office, and the Speaker’s Office, was indeed an honor and a privilege. It was the most wonderful experience of my whole life.