Connarton also says Mickey used to walk the corridors of City Hospital (now the Cambridge Hospital) and ask patients if they were receiving good care. If they weren't, the city councillor would go to the administrator's office and demand to know why.

The Next Generation

Ed and Walter Sullivan grew up on Surrey St., near where Mather House is today, in a house their dad owned. They had 10 siblings, seven of whom survived childhood.

"We never had a dime," Walter says.

During their childhood, the neighborhood where the Sullivans lived--called Kerry Corner--was small, close-knit and, above all, Irish. The neighborhood changed forever after Harvard bought up much of the property there, but the Sullivans remain proud of their Irish roots. Ed, in fact, is an honorary citizen of Dublin, Ireland.

The Sullivans were devout Irish Catholics and longstanding members of St. Paul's church in Harvard Square. Francis R. Powers '49 lived in an apartment on Mass. Ave. after he graduated, and he says he could see them in the church on Sundays.

"Every Sunday and holiday, there were two very well dressed young people that would open up the church and greet people," Powers says.

"I saw them in the church taking the collection basket around--and I thought 'these guys work so hard, they must own the church,'" Powers says. "I never saw anyone work harder for their church."

Powers, now clerk of the courts in Plymouth County on Massachusetts' south shore, later discovered that these two hardworking young men were Walter and Ed Sullivan.

Though they received only a high school education, Walter and Ed received plenty of practical schooling in city politics.

Because of their father's asthma, one of the brothers always had to accompany him and help out with his city council business.

But Mickey "the Dude" died in 1949. Edward, who had originally planned to be an undertaker, changed his mind and won Mickey's seat on the city council.

Edward Sullivan decided to run for Clerk of the Courts in 1952 when he found that no Democrat had ever held that position. He lost his bid that year, but ran again and won in 1958. He has been serving as clerk ever since.

He continued to occupy the Sullivan seat on the council until 1959, serving one term as mayor. Walter took over the seat in 1960 and served for 34 years, including three stints as mayor.

Throughout, they never lost touch with their Irish Catholic roots. Walter Sullivan eventually served as head usher at St. Paul's. And every March, the Sullivan family hosts an Irish St. Patrick's Day party at the Marriott in Kendall Square.