Weld never let the job go to his head. Habits he has held since his college days--a daily squash match and frequent family vacations--found their way into his executive schedule, even during the first weeks of his heavy-handed budget cutting.

Lieutenant Governor A. Paul Cellucci frequently took over the reins of state government, and rarely heard from Weld, according to The Boston Globe.

During the 1994 gubernatorial campaign, Weld's opponents criticized him for his work ethic--and he has admitted himself that his greatest flaw is laziness.

But his colleagues say when Weld has the rightjob before him, he attacks it with vigor.

"He works like hell," says Gael Mahony, apartner in the litigation department at Hill andBarlow where Weld worked as an assistant and latera partner during the 1970s.

According to Mahony, Weld was fascinated bycases dealing with securities fraud, which got tothe heart of business transactions.

"If there was some scullduggerie, that made itmore exciting," Mahony says. "Those were the onesthat he would dig into with real enthusiasm."

Weld's wife, Susan R. Weld '70, who is aresearch fellow at Harvard Law School, says he isfascinated by the international and financialclients at McDermott, Will and Emery, where he iscurrently employed.

The future governor was first bitten by thepolitical bug during his years at Hill and Barlow.But Weld lost big in the 1978 race for districtattorney--he won only two towns against thepopular Frank Bellotti.

"That was admirable because everybody knew thathe was going to get clobbered and he went inanyway," Mahony says, but admits that thecampaign--which Weld paid for with $200,000 of hisown money--was a good investment for Weld'spolitical career.

"He established himself in the public eye as apromising, interesting guy who had some realbackbone to him," Mahony says.

Weld showed that backbone on the national scenewhen he resigned his governorship last summer tocommit himself to a fight for the Mexicanambassadorship, his second attempt to find a newjob since he won the 1994 election.

In 1996 Weld lost the race for a U.S. Senateseat to incumbent Democrat John F. Kerry.

Adams says this pattern fits Weld'spreferences.

"He likes to campaign more than he doesgoverning," Adams says. "This is a person wholikes to get near the flame. He likes to be nearthe edge. He is risk-prone."

Pushing the Envelope