Richard Neal | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2012 | |
| Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Kevin Brady |
| In office January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Sander Levin |
| Succeeded by | Kevin Brady |
| Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Kevin Brady |
| Succeeded by | Jason Smith |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Edward Boland |
| Constituency | 2nd district (1989–2013) 1st district (2013–present) |
| 50th Mayor of Springfield | |
| In office January 2, 1984 – January 3, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Theodore Dimauro |
| Succeeded by | Mary Hurley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard Edmund Neal February 14, 1949 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Maureen Conway (m. 1975) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Holyoke Community College American International College (BA) University of Hartford (MA) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website |
Richard Edmund Neal (born February 14, 1949) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 1st congressional district since 1989. The district, numbered as the 2nd district from 1989 to 2013, includes Springfield, West Springfield, Pittsfield, Holyoke, Agawam, Chicopee and Westfield, and is much more rural than the rest of the state. A member of the Democratic Party, Neal has been the dean of Massachusetts's delegation to the United States House of Representatives since 2013, and he is also the dean of the New England House delegations.[1][2]
Neal was president of the Springfield City Council from 1979 to 1983 and mayor of Springfield from 1983 to 1989. He was nearly unopposed when he ran for the House of Representatives in 1988, and took office in 1989.
Neal chaired the House Ways and Means Committee from 2019 to 2023 and chaired the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures.[3] He has also dedicated much of his career to U.S.–Ireland relations and maintaining American involvement in the Northern Ireland peace process, for which he has won several acclamations. He has a generally liberal voting record, but is considered a moderate on such issues as abortion and trade. In January 2020, Neal was inducted into the Irish American Hall of Fame.[4]
- ^ "Springfield's Richard Neal Will Be the Next Dean of Massachusetts' Congressional Delegation". Congressman Richard Neal. June 28, 2013. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ "Meet Richie". Congressman Richard Neal. December 3, 2012. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ Neal, Richard. "Opinion | Why my committee needs the president's tax returns". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ Irish Central, "2020 Irish America Hall of Fame inductees announced" January 26, 2020 [1] Archived January 27, 2020, at the Wayback Machine