Rep. Edward Connolly dies at 77
State Representative Edward G. Connolly , who personified politics in Everett, where he served as an elected official for 51 years, died yesterday at Whidden Memorial Hospital, friends said. He was 77.
``He is Mr. Everett," Bill Hart, a longtime family friend, said yesterday. ``His first thought was always what was right for the city."
Connolly, a Democrat, served in both houses of Everett's bicameral city government, first as a councilman, then as an alderman, eventually becoming president of each. He also served as the city's mayor for seven years and as chairman of the city's Democratic committee.
He only lost one race in his lifetime, his re-election for mayor of Everett in 1985. He was named the winner on election night, but a recount gave challenger John McCarthy the victory by 27 votes out of 15,000 cast.
He was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1991, taking the seat of House Speaker George Keverian, who decided not to seek reelection. Connolly was eventually named to several powerful committees, including Rules, Ways and Means, and Banks and Banking. He was chairman of the House Special Committee on Veterans and continued to serve enthusiastically even as diabetes and kidney failure took their toll on his health, said Hart, who is deputy director of Massachusetts Community Colleges .
A father of five, Connolly attended Everett schools and earned a bachelor's degree in public relations from Boston University and a master's degree in public management from Boston State College, which later merged with the University of Massachusetts at Boston, according to the Legislature's website.
Senator Jarrett T. Barrios of Cambridge, who also represents Everett, called Connolly an example for others interested in public service. 