It was early in 1963, and Francis H. Duehay '55 was trying to decide what to do with his life. He had degrees from the College and the Graduate School of Education (GSE), he had two years' service in the Navy, and he had taught at a local high school. Now, he was an administrator at the GSE, and life seemed a little predictable.
He was serving on a Cambridge Civic Association (CCA) committee that was unsuccessfully seeking qualified Cambridge School Committee candidates, and decided he might as well throw his hat into the ring.
His successful election was to set Duehay on a nearly 40-year sojourn into local politics, which he bowed out of after his final council term ended this January.
For his longevity and focus on the local, Duehay has earned favorable comparisons to former Speaker of the House Democrat Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, another Cambridge politician.
To what end local politics, though? Why did Duehay stay in city government through the course of his political career, even as opportunities in state and national politics beckoned?
The answer for Duehay is simple: his roots.
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