Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives
HECKLER, Margaret M. (1931-2018)

HECKLER, MARGARET M., a Representative from Massachusetts; born Margaret Mary O'Shaughnessy, June 21, 1931, in Flushing, Queens County, N.Y.; Albertus Magnus College, B.A., 1953; Boston College Law School, LL.B., 1956; attended the University of Leiden in Holland, 1952; editor, Annual Survey of Massachusetts Law; admitted to Massachusetts bar in 1956; elected a Governor's councilor, Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1962-1966; delegate, Republican National Convention, 1964 and 1968; elected as a Republican to the Ninetieth and to the seven succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1967-January 3, 1983); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1982 to the Ninety-eighth Congress; Secretary, Health and Human Services, 1983-1985; ambassador to Ireland, December 17, 1985 until August 1989; died on August 6, 2018, in Arlington, Va.

Boston College
John J. Burns Library
Chestnut Hill, MA
Papers: ca. 1966-1987, approximately 237 linear feet.
The collection contains personal, business, and congressional papers and correspondence, including photographs, portraits, video tape, sound recordings, and memorabilia, documenting her career in Congress and in the Department of Health and Human Services. The collection also includes material relating to the Republican Party. Most of the collection is currently restricted.


University of Oklahoma
The Julian P. Kanter Political Commercial Archive, Department of Communication
Norman, OK
Film Reels and Videocassette: 1968; 1982, 4 commercials on 2 film reels and 5 commercials on 1 videocassette.
The commercials were used during Heckler's campaigns for the 1968 U.S. congressional election in District 10 and the 1982 election in District 4, Massachusetts, Republican Party.

  • "Margaret M. Heckler" in Women in Congress, 1917-2006. Prepared under the direction of the Committee on House Administration by the Office of History & Preservation, U.S. House of Representatives. Washington: Government Printing Office, 2006.
  • Ralph Nader Congress Project. Citizens Look at Congress: Margaret M. Heckler, Republican Representative from Massachusetts. Washington, D. C.: Grossman Publishers, 1972.