American politician and businessman. Son of now-deceased Democratic politician Tip O’Neill, Tom O’Neill followed in his father’s footsteps and entered politics early in his life. He was a member of the state’s House of Representatives and was elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in 1975 where he served until 1983. He founded Bay State Investors in 1983, using his 13 years of government experience to advise clients on government relations. Chairman and founder of McDermott/O’Neill & Associates, an international consulting firm specializing in government and public relations, he has earned a reputation for being “hard as stones, someone to cross at your own peril.” In 1997, he reached an out-of-court settlement after getting into a violent fight during a game of chance. In 1999, he sold McDermott/O’Neill & Associates to GPC International, a large Canadian agency. Recently, he bought back his company, fearing that he was becoming an anonymous face in a totally different company that was out of his control. Since cultivating local ties is an obsession with him, he reports that since he bought back his company in late 2002, business has increased significantly and his staff has stabilized. He serves on many boards, including as trustee of the Joey Fund and is a member of the American Ireland Fund.
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