Describes the political career of the politician from Massachusetts whose career spanned fifty years and who served as Speaker of the House for a decade.

Includes index. First ed. also issued in specially bound copies.

Prologue -- All politics is local -- James Michael Curley and the state house years -- Speaker of the Massachusetts House -- The Kennedys -- the road to Congress -- Giants of the House: McCormack and Rayburn -- Getting along in Washington -- President Kennedy -- Lyndon Johnson -- Into the leadership -- Watergate -- Speaker of the House -- The Carter years -- Ronald Reagan -- Epilogue: What I believe.