One of the best-known Boston politicians of our times recalls the life
of the controversial but beloved mayor, congressman, and governor James
Michael Curley. Curley was the greatest Irish-American politician in
Boston history before John F. Kennedy, who actually won Curley's seat in
Congress. As the voice of working Boston, Curley was loved to the point
of adoration, even as he was being hustled off to jail for what he
called "taking care of constituents." Bulger, who was growing up in
Boston just as Curley's career and life were winding down, explains how
such a "rascal" could have been an inspiration to him and so many
others.