Meehan Returns to LA to Discuss Political Discourse and Public Service
For Marty Meehan P'26, the rule of thumb for any public servant should be pretty simple (and a familiar refrain to the LA community):
“You oughta try and be on the right side of history,” he told a packed gathering of students at Lawrence Academy’s third “Pizza & Politics” lunch event held in the campus’ Media Conference Center.
Meehan, the 27th president and the first undergraduate alumnus to lead the five-campus UMass system (as well as a former chancellor at UMass-Lowell - his undergraduate alma mater), returned to Lawrence Academy, where he gave a keynote speech during the 2023 graduation exercises.
However, now that it is late October and with the nation so close to a presidential election, Meehan spoke about his political beginnings and why public service remains essential.
“When I was younger, I was fascinated by political campaigns,” said the former U.S. House of Representatives member (serving from 1993 to 2007), who explained his father looked to ensure his Irish-Catholic family paid attention to the work of Massachusetts-born John F. Kennedy - then the first Catholic president.
“After President Kennedy got elected...my father made us sit down and watch all of his press conferences,” said Mr. Meehan, echoing the experiences of many Massachusetts citizens of his generation.
But from there, Meehan became fascinated with local politics and listened to candidates whenever they spoke on the campaign trail.
“I then got involved,” he said, describing how he closely followed the career of President Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, the president’s brother, who served as United States Attorney General and then Senator from New York.
Of course, both men were assassinated but left behind a legacy of public service, which many young people sought to emulate - including Meehan.
“I was always just interested in elections,” he said. “And when I was 19 years old, I got a job working for a Member of Congress named Jim Shannon, who represented this area [from 1979-1985].
“I got a chance to work on his staff,” continued Meehan. “I went to Washington [D.C.] to work.”
That work, his fascination with campaigns, degrees from UMass Lowell and Suffolk University, and a juris doctor from Suffolk Law put him in a position to reach for his ultimate goal, a seat in Congress.
“I felt I could have more impact getting elected to Congress,” said Meehan, describing why he didn’t seek higher office within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts after serving as the first assistant district attorney for Middlesex County. “In fact, I just recently had my 50th reunion for high school, and I looked at my yearbook before I went to it, and it must’ve been 15 people who told me... ‘Good luck in your race for Congress.'
“It was something I was always going to do,” added Mr. Meehan. “I liked public service; I liked to try to do things to make people’s lives better.”
To that end, when asked about his accomplishments in national politics, Meehan pointed to his work in campaign finance reform and the repeal of the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policies.
Even though he no longer serves in Congress, Meehan believes he serves an equally important constituency within the UMass system: the Commonwealth’s students, staff, and educators.
“I’m still in public service from my perspective because I think education is a critical component for the opportunity for people to achieve their full potential in life.”
The Lawrence Academy Pizza & Politics series, conceived as a positive approach to political discourse, ended with the Civic Engagement Panel, which attempted to provide insight into political engagement outside the presidential election season.
“The interview will be moderated by two of our students [Tanner Weiss '26, Myles McCusker '26] who have leadership roles in our Across the Aisle Club and the Moral Courage Task Force,” explained Dennis Canty, LA's Dean of Students, before the presentation.
Jaime Schulze, Assistant Dean of Students, added, “As we look towards the end of this year’s election season... this will be a great opportunity to hear from someone who has dedicated their career to public service.”