Rosemary O'Neill, State Dept. officer, daughter of Tip O'Neill, and Harwich resident, dies

Rosemary Dorothy O’Neill, daughter of Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill Jr., former Speaker of the House and one of the state's leading political figures, died on July 20.

Born and raised in Cambridge, she attended Ellis School, St. John’s Elementary, Matignon High School and Dunbarton College. Then she went to Washington.

Rosemary’s brother, Thomas "Tom" O’Neill III, said the family has been intricately involved in politics for 130 years.

Rosemary O'Neill retired to Harwich Port in 2004.

“We’ve always seen it as public service,” Thomas O'Neill III said. “The idea that you can run for elective office, win, and provide leadership to your town, city, district, state and federal government is one of the greatest callings one can have. We view that as being noble. Rosemary felt that.”

After graduating from college, O'Neill joined the U.S. State Department. She was one of the first women to be sworn into the foreign service, her brother said.

O'Neill lived and worked in Washington until she was posted to Morocco in 1980. She travelled in her various positions including to the former Soviet Union to promote human rights for people with disabilities, and to Northern Ireland as an advisor with the director of policy planning on Northern Ireland issues.

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“She worked for women’s rights and equity for many people all over the globe, especially in Northern Ireland, Morocco, Malta and Afghanistan,” her brother said. “She created an open forum at the State Department that brought in non-government people with expertise in foreign affairs and foreign policy to speak with State Department employees."

Rosemary O'Neill was a glass-ceiling breaker at the State Department and for that she has received accolades, her brother said.

More: Obituary for Rosemary Dorothy O'Neill

“She was the connective tissue, making sure she reached out to everyone in the family,” he said. “She always thought it was her job to make sure all the nephews and nieces kept in touch, making sure everyone’s health was okay. If there was a need for a town crier, she let people know what was going on.”

Leigh Crowley O’Neill, Rosemary’s niece and goddaughter, agreed.

“She understood the importance of showing up, of being present,” Leigh O'Neill said. “She was totally committed to me and all her nieces and nephews. She had a lot of love to give and she spread it broadly.”

Always the center of attention at the family Christmas and Thanksgiving tables whether in Boston, Washington or Harwich, Rosemary O'Neill loved to entertain, talk politics and foreign affairs, her brother said.

But it was Cape Cod that served as the family’s favorite place to rest and relax and just be together, Leigh O'Neill said.

“The Cape is such a wonderful restorative place for families to come together and just be family and not do what they do professionally,” she said. “The Cape is that for my family. We would see her here and it was a lovely, loving, restorative environment.”

In retirement, Rosemary O'Neill served on the Harwich Democratic Committee and as board chair for the Family Pantry of Cape Cod. She was an emissary for the town, praising its natural resources, conservation lands, trails, harbors and entertainment venues.

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“I don’t care if it was walking trails, a bird grazing in a lake, she wanted everyone to know about it,” Thomas O'Neill III, her brother, said. “She was just that interested. She was forever reading, forever sharing her knowledge and love at the same time.”

After Leigh O'Neill graduated from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, her aunt served as a mentor. She was a role model as a career professional, and always passionate about America's role in the world, Leigh O'Neill said. 

“She made that normal, especially for female aspiring policy professionals,” O'Neill said. “If you see a leader or a role model in your family, it shows that you can do that, too. She did that with tremendous integrity, love of country, and she did it all day, every day.”

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Rosemary O'Neill, Foreign Service Officer and Harwich resident, dies