Raymond Flynn
Encyclopedia
Raymond Leo Flynn also known as Ray Flynn, served as Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts
from 1984 until 1993. He was later appointed United States
Ambassador to the Holy See
(1993–1997) by President
Bill Clinton
.
n basketball player at Providence College
, was selected Most Valuable Player
in the 1963
National Invitation Tournament
(NIT) during his senior year, and was the last player cut from the then-World Champion Boston Celtics
.
member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
from 1971 to 1979, representing the South Boston neighborhood during the turbulent busing crisis of the early 1970s. He later served on the Boston City Council
from 1978 to 1984, before successfully running for Mayor of Boston in 1983. He was reelected in 1987 and again in 1991.
Flynn, a life-long pro-life
activist, was instrumental in drawing the pro-life, Catholic
vote
to pro-choice
Governor Bill Clinton
of Arkansas
in his 1992 bid
for the White House
against incumbent George H. W. Bush
. In 1993, Flynn resigned during his third term as mayor when he was appointed by Clinton to serve as U.S. Ambassador
to the Holy See
.
Following his service as ambassador, Flynn ran unsuccessfully for Massachusetts's 8th congressional district
seat that was being vacated by Joseph Patrick Kennedy II
in 1998.
episode "The Stork Brings the Crane". In the episode Flynn has his entourage take away Cliff Clavin
, who writes Flynn once a week.
In 1999, Flynn became president of Catholic Alliance, a nonpartisan
Catholic advocacy group
. In this role, while remaining a Democrat, he and the Catholic Alliance endorsed George W. Bush
in the 2000 presidential election
. He became president of another Catholic political advocacy organization, Your Catholic Voice. Flynn left this group to start Catholic Citizenship
, serving as its National Chairman from 2004 until 2008. In 2010, he supported the successful candidacy of Republican Scott Brown
for the United States Senate.
In 2007, he was named Grand Marshall
of the 246th consecutive New York
St. Patrick's Day Parade. Additionally, in 2007 he joined the College of Fellows of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology
in Berkeley, CA.
In March, 2011 Raymond had his house broken into. Amongst the valuables taken were rosary beads blessed by the late Pope John Paul II
and letters from influential world figures.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
from 1984 until 1993. He was later appointed United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Ambassador to the Holy See
United States Ambassador to the Holy See
A U.S. Ambassador serves as that country's official representative to the Holy See since formal diplomatic relations began in 1984. Before the establishment of official relations, Myron Taylor served during World War II as an emissary for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1951, President Harry S....
(1993–1997) by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
Early life
Before entering politics, Flynn was an All-AmericaAll-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n basketball player at Providence College
Providence College
Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic...
, was selected Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
in the 1963
1963 National Invitation Tournament
The 1963 National Invitation Tournament was the 1963 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.-Selected teams:Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.-Brackets/Results:Below is the tournament bracket....
National Invitation Tournament
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
(NIT) during his senior year, and was the last player cut from the then-World Champion Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
.
Political career
Flynn began his political career as a DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
from 1971 to 1979, representing the South Boston neighborhood during the turbulent busing crisis of the early 1970s. He later served on the Boston City Council
Boston City Council
The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councilors are elected to two-year terms and there is no limit on the number of terms an individual can serve...
from 1978 to 1984, before successfully running for Mayor of Boston in 1983. He was reelected in 1987 and again in 1991.
Flynn, a life-long pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
activist, was instrumental in drawing the pro-life, Catholic
Roman Catholicism in the United States
The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, the Christian Church in full communion with the Pope. With more than 68.5 registered million members, it is the largest single religious denomination in the United States, comprising about 22 percent of the population...
vote
Catholicism and American politics
Members of the Catholic Church have been active in the politics of the United States since the mid 19th century. The U.S. has never had an important religious party...
to pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
Governor Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
in his 1992 bid
United States presidential election, 1992
The United States presidential election of 1992 had three major candidates: Incumbent Republican President George Bush; Democratic Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, and independent Texas businessman Ross Perot....
for the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
against incumbent George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
. In 1993, Flynn resigned during his third term as mayor when he was appointed by Clinton to serve as U.S. Ambassador
United States Ambassador to the Holy See
A U.S. Ambassador serves as that country's official representative to the Holy See since formal diplomatic relations began in 1984. Before the establishment of official relations, Myron Taylor served during World War II as an emissary for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1951, President Harry S....
to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
.
Following his service as ambassador, Flynn ran unsuccessfully for Massachusetts's 8th congressional district
Massachusetts's 8th congressional district
Massachusetts's 8th congressional district is in eastern Massachusetts, including part of Boston and the immediately adjacent cities of Cambridge, Somerville, and Chelsea. With an area of just , it is the smallest by area of Massachusetts's ten congressional districts. It is currently represented...
seat that was being vacated by Joseph Patrick Kennedy II
Joseph Patrick Kennedy II
Joseph Patrick Kennedy II is an American businessman and Democratic politician.He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the 8th congressional district of Massachusetts from 1987 to 1999. In 1979 he founded and led until election to the U.S...
in 1998.
Private life
While serving as mayor, Flynn played himself in the CheersCheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
episode "The Stork Brings the Crane". In the episode Flynn has his entourage take away Cliff Clavin
Cliff Clavin
Clifford C. Clavin, Jr. is a character on the American television show Cheers, co-created and portrayed by John Ratzenberger.- Character history :...
, who writes Flynn once a week.
In 1999, Flynn became president of Catholic Alliance, a nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
Catholic advocacy group
Advocacy group
Advocacy groups use various forms of advocacy to influence public opinion and/or policy; they have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems...
. In this role, while remaining a Democrat, he and the Catholic Alliance endorsed George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in the 2000 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2000
The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....
. He became president of another Catholic political advocacy organization, Your Catholic Voice. Flynn left this group to start Catholic Citizenship
Catholic Citizenship
Catholic Citizenship is a non-profit issue advocacy organization that is the grassroots counterpart to the Massachusetts Catholic Conference the official public policy voice for the Roman Catholic Church in Massachusetts.Founded in 2004 by former U.S...
, serving as its National Chairman from 2004 until 2008. In 2010, he supported the successful candidacy of Republican Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...
for the United States Senate.
In 2007, he was named Grand Marshall
Grand Marshal
Grand Marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "Marshal" with the first usage of the term "Grand Marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders...
of the 246th consecutive New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
St. Patrick's Day Parade. Additionally, in 2007 he joined the College of Fellows of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology
Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology
The Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology is a Roman Catholic college, seminary, and graduate school in Berkeley, California. It is located at 2301 Vine Street in Berkeley....
in Berkeley, CA.
In March, 2011 Raymond had his house broken into. Amongst the valuables taken were rosary beads blessed by the late Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
and letters from influential world figures.