Kevin B. Harrington; elevated state schools as Senate leader

A painted portrait of Kevin B. Harrington, former Massachusetts Senate president, hangs in the Senate library. (John Tlumacki/Globe Staff/file)

Kevin B. Harrington, former president of the Massachusetts Senate, died Thursday at Kaplan Family Hospice in Danvers of congestive heart failure. He was 79.

Mr. Harrington was a lifelong Salem resident who came from a politically active family. His uncle, Joseph, had been Salem's mayor, served in the state Legislature, and was a judge. His cousin Michael was a congressman.

Mr. Harrington began his career as an educator and coach before turning to politics. A Democrat, he served on the Salem City Council in 1957 and then was elected state senator in 1958. He served as the Senate's president from 1971 until 1978. When he resigned, he had served in the post longer than all but two of his predecessors.

Often described as a towering presence, at 6 feet 9 inches tall, he dominated Massachusetts politics in the 1960s and '70s.

William M. Bulger, who succeeded him as Senate president, said Mr. Harrington relished the Senate's relatively small size - 40 members - and "the personal camaraderie the Senate allowed. There had always been a very friendly atmosphere. Kevin fostered that. If anyone had any strong opinions, he was respectful," Bulger said.

"He was a good person and did his job well. He thought public service was noble. It can be tough, and he knew that, too."

Mr. Harrington's impoverished upbringing inspired him to enter public service, said his son Kevin B. Jr., of Shrewsbury. Mr. Harrington was the youngest of six children and was raised during the Great Depression. His father died when he was 6 years old, leaving his mother destitute, said Kevin.

"They were dirt poor," he said. "He came from nothing; his whole career was helping people. He was a unique kind of guy; he never forgot where he came from. He was a great American. A true American story."

Mr. Harrington graduated from St. Mary's Boys High School in Lynn in 1948. He then spent three years working odd jobs and trying to earn a scholarship to college, said his son Neil J., former mayor of Salem.

He was awarded a basketball scholarship to St. Louis University in Missouri, where he met Kathleen M. Carney. They were married in 1955, one year after he received a bachelor's degree in government.

Until he was elected to the City Council, Mr. Harrington taught government and history and coached basketball at Merrimack College in North Andover.

Mr. Harrington's appreciation for education grew tremendously after he graduated, his son said, and he focused his Senate career on improving the education system in Massachusetts.

"He was a poor student, and yet he was grateful to have gone to college. As he grew older, he came to appreciate how important education was," Neil said.

During his Senate career, Mr. Harrison was cochairman of the Willis-Harrington Commission, which helped strengthen the state's education system, said his son. Minimum pay was instituted for teachers as well as mandatory kindergarten and the restructuring of many state colleges.

"He spent the rest of his life giving back, not only to the people who helped him, but to the people who would benefit from what he cared about," said Neil.

Mr. Harrington was involved in the development of Salem State College. He helped to secure funds for the college to build dormitories, sports facilities, and academic buildings.

Samuel E. Zoll of Salem, a longtime friend and colleague and retired chief justice of the Massachusetts district court, served with Mr. Harrington in the Massachusetts Legislature and on the Salem City Council. He said Mr. Harrington was one of the top contributors to Salem.

"Kevin and I had a long friendship that dates back to our basketball days in Salem. He was a generous person in the fullest sense of the word. He was a giant in terms of mastery and knowledge in state government and its workings," said Zoll. "We worked together closely in matters related to Salem. He had a great love of the city."

Mr. Harrington resigned from the Senate in 1978, amid an investigation into a $2,000 illegal campaign check he allegedly cashed in 1970 from the McKee-Berger-Mansueto company, which oversaw construction of the University of Massachusetts-Boston campus. The company, known as MBM, had bribed three state senators who were later imprisoned in one of the largest scandals to affect Massachusetts politics. Mr. Harrington never acknowledged wrongdoing, nor was he ever charged or indicted.

Talking to reporters after his abrupt and unexpected departure from the Senate presidency on July 31, 1978, Mr. Harrington said he was stepping down early to facilitate an orderly transition of power, to afford Bulger an unhurried opportunity to take over the Senate's administrative apparatus, and to avoid any conflict of interest when he took a private-sector job before the end of the year.

Harrington said then that he hoped his eight-year tenure would be remembered for his having established the Senate as coequal with both the House and the Executive Department.

"I tried to impose a degree of civility on the Senate that was sometimes interpreted as rigid discipline and to make the Senate work more closely with as small an amount of disharmony as possible," he said.

After he left public service, he founded Boston-based Issues Management, a lobbying and consulting firm. He also served on several civic, business, educational, and community boards. He was most active as a member of the board of trustees at Bishop Fenwick High School in Peabody and at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. He also was a guest lecturer and professor at several area colleges and universities.

"He was an outstanding teacher, scholar, and political leader. Whether in the classroom, Senate chamber, or at home with his family," said longtime friend and former state treasurer Robert Q. Crane. "While on the basketball court or the floor of the Great and General Court he brought integrity and skill in his every move."

Senate President Therese Murray said in a statement that "we have lost one of the Commonwealth's most dedicated public servants. He will be remembered for his leadership, commitment to public education, and, most importantly, his devotion to his constituents and to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones in their time of grief."

Dr. David M. Bartley, House speaker from 1968 to 1975, called Mr. Harrington "one the best, brightest, and most caring individuals who ever worked the State House. Not only was he the tallest guy in the building, he was often times the smartest.

"Kevin Harrington single-handedly overhauled elementary and secondary education with the Willis-Harrington Report. Salem State was an awful-ran state college until Kevin worked his magic and made it the best in the state college system. The best years of state government were when Kevin Harrington was the Senate president."

In addition to his two sons and wife, Mr. Harrington leaves three daughters; Ann M. of Salem, Maureen F. of Kittery Point, Maine, and Joan M. of Salem; a sister Rita L. of Peabody; and 11 grandchildren.

A funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Saturday in Immaculate Conception Church in Salem. Burial will be private.

Globe correspondent Walter V. Robinson contributed to this report.